


Eden's Crush

by BadWolfRose (BadWolf1988)



Series: Eden and Hermione [1]
Category: Dog The Bounty Hunter
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship, Politics, RPF, Romance, Royalty
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2018-03-03
Packaged: 2018-05-28 04:33:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 29
Words: 23,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6315160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BadWolf1988/pseuds/BadWolfRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leland Chapman had a perfectly normal, if not boring life as a single father to three kids. That all changed the day he stumbled upon his siblings reading fanfiction...about him. Now he's as obsessed with the author as she is with him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note: I totally blame my husband for this story. 110%, he and my dad totally encourage this madness.
> 
> Author's Note II: Since this is a story about Leland and a fanfiction author who writes about him, I will be stealing excerpts from my other Leland stories to use as her work. I'm sorry I am not writing stories to go inside of the story I'm writing. Just the thought of it makes my brain hurt. I may be creative but I am also lazy as hell. There. I said it.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not know nor do I own the Chapman family. Owning other human beings went out with Lincoln.
> 
>  
> 
> Author's Note III: Since the current state of the Chapman family seriously saddens me, this story is going to take place back when the show was still on the air. Since I would feel horrible pretending that a child doesn't exist, we are going to pretend that Leiah is the product of a one-night-stand. I haven't kept up with this family in years...so yeah.

Leland walked through the doors of Da Kine Bail Bonds half asleep. Being a single father of three small kids was no small chore. The previous night the parental fates had all seemed to align against him. Dakota had "forgotten" that he had a model of the Solar System due until the very last second. This had caused a mad dash to Michael's Arts and Crafts Store right before close with a grumpy ten-year-old who didn't want to do his homework, a five-year-old who wanted to touch EVERYTHING, and a screaming six-month-old up way past her bedtime.

Upon arriving home, he had dropped the bags of supplies on the kitchen table, sat Dakota down in front of it all, and informed his son that it was now up to him if he failed his assignment or not.

After feeding and changing Leiah, she thankfully decided to go down without a fight. Cobie on the other chose to keep sneaking out of bed every time his father's head was turned.

All in all he was happy to be at work – that is until he noticed Duane Lee, Lyssa, and Wesley huddled around the laptop that sat on Beth's desk.

Duane Lee was laughing uncomfortably, Lyssa's face was beet red, and Wesley looked as though he were going to be physically ill.

Dropping his coffee at his desk he went to check out what his brothers and sister were up to.

"Do I even want to know what the three of you are looking at?" He leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms over his chest.

Lyssa jumped almost a foot in the air and his brothers looked a bit startled as well. What the hell were they looking at? They obviously hadn't heard him come in. They were bounty hunters for God's sake. He knew their observational skills were better than that. He was starting to fear whatever had the three of them so distracted.

He repeated his question.

Wesley shook his head grimly. "No, you do not want to know. Trust me on this one, brother. I wish I didn't know."

"What he said," Duane Lee pointed at Wesley.

Lyssa nodded her head. "You know, I rarely, if ever, agree with these two but on this one they're right. Ignorance is bliss."

Leland sighed and walked around the desk to see for himself what had his siblings acting like loons. It was a website...a website with a large picture of him on the homepage.

"Eden's Crush's Leland Fanfiction Archive," He read the name of the site aloud. He was starting to feel a little sick. "Fanfiction?"

He turned to Lyssa. "Isn't fanfiction sappy love stories written by twelve-year-old girls about their favorite celebrities? Like the stuff you used to write about the Backstreet Boys?"

His little sister blushed redder. "Some of the time, yeah, but a lot of it is written by adults...and trust me, this Eden's Crush chick is most definitely not a kid."

"Definitely not a kid," Duane Lee repeated while shaking his head. He sounded a bit like Rainman.

"Almost all of these stories are rated TV MA." Wesley informed him.

Leland leaned down and quickly scrolled through the story list. There were over twenty titles.

"So all of these stories have sex in them?" Leland asked pointing down at the screen, that sick feeling was getting worse.

All three of his siblings nodded in perfect unison.

"And you three perverts, what, forgot that I am your BROTHER?!" He snapped.

"It's not like hardcore, Hustler Channel sex," Lyssa defended. "And the stories aren't filled with it. In fact, they are pretty well-written. If they weren't about you, I'd actually want to read more." She admitted.

Leland didn't know how to respond to that and was thankfully saved having to by their dad calling for them from the front office.

He turned back to his siblings. "We never speak of this again...agreed?" He eyed them all.

Lyssa nodded.

"Deal," Wesley readily agreed.

"Speak of what?" Duane Lee asked.

Later that night, after he had put the kids to bed, Leland was ashamed to admit that he found himself once again online...and once again staring at his own picture. The stories were written about him. He had a right to be curious. He would only skim through a couple and then go to sleep.

Four hours later, Leland could barely keep his eyes open. He was beyond ensnared by this writer. He had read two of her stories back to back and she had captured the heart of his perfect woman, well, perfectly. All of her female characters were strong, independent, and fierce when they had to be. But they were also warm, maternal, loyal, and loving. The looks of her characters changed drastically from story to story but he could see himself falling for any one of them easily.

In the top right-hand corner of the page was a link. Contact the Author. Leland clicked it.

***I love your stories. You seem to have captured the image of Leland's dream girl spot on.***

He clicked the send button before he had time to really think about what the hell he was doing.

As he laid down to sleep that night the last image that played in his mind was Beth slapping the hell out of him for what he had just done.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No, this is not a very weird Harry Potter crossover. Eden's sister is named Hermione, but she's not THAT Hermione, she's an original character. I like giving my main female characters unique first names. Hermione will be getting her own story soon. This is going to be a double-feature. Eden gets Leland, Hermione is going to get Prince Harry...getting the joke with her name now?

Eden was pulling a blue, lace sundress over her head as she made her way into the living room of the house she shared with her twenty-one-year-old younger sister.

Said younger sister was lounging on the couch in sweatpants and a tank top and giving her a very strange look...not that Eden noticed. She was still too annoyed and hung over.

"Why the hell didn't you wake me up?!" She snapped as she struggled to zip up the side of her dress. "And why aren't you dressed? Mother is going to kill us if we are late for lunch."

Hermione chuckled briefly before speaking again. "Because it's Saturday dumbass, not Sunday."

Eden stopped her rush to get ready and glared at her sister...who was now laughing hysterically. "I hate you,"

She walked back into her room and slammed the door. She stripped out of her sundress and pulled on a pair of pajama pants with the Dog the Bounty Hunter logo on them and a black tank top. Grabbing her laptop off of her dresser, she climbed back into bed. As the laptop was booting up, her bedroom door opened and Hermione entered carrying a tray bearing coffee, orange juice, aspirin, and a plain bagel.

"Peace offering?" Hermione smirked.

"Thanks," Eden grumbled. She still wasn't in much of a good mood. In fact, she was barely ever in a good mood anymore.

"You know I'm not the bad guy here right?" Hermione asked, taking a seat on the bed. "I'm on your side. All of this gets to me too."

Eden softened a bit. Hermione had a point. "I know," She grabbed the orange juice off of the trey and took a sip. Turning her attention back to her computer, she pulled up her website.

"You know the way you obsess over him is the same way you hate people obsessing over you right?" Hermione asked her rather sagely as she pointed at the photograph of Leland Chapman on her home page.

Eden didn't respond. Her sister was right, of course. But at least, Leland chose to be on television, chose to be famous. She most certainly had not chosen her fame. It had been thrust upon her at birth. She had been born to a first-term Democratic Senator from North Carolina. That Senator had then spent the next twenty years steadily climbing the political ranks...until he ran for President of the United States when Eden had been twenty and Hermione seventeen...and he won.

Her father was President William James. In the third year of his first term, he was rated highly in the public opinion polls and looked like a shoe-in for reelection.

Most people would feel proud and privileged to live the life that she led. She was the daughter of a well-respected President, had grown up in a life of luxury, had attended the best schools in the country, and was in her first year working as head of fundraising for her family's charitable foundation.

Eden was proud of her father and knew she had a good life. She WAS thankful for that. What she wasn't thankful for was the press intrusion into her life. For some reason, she had been labeled America's new 'It' girl upon her father's announcement that he was running for president. From those first days of campaigning four years ago, cameras had followed her every move. Hermione had been spared in those early days because she was still young enough to enjoy Secret Service protection, Eden had been too old to legally qualify. The press coverage only increased upon her father's win. It felt like she couldn't go anywhere without a photographer following.

At first, she had tried to live as normal a life as possible. She had stayed in North Carolina and had avoided moving until the press intrusion became too much to bear. Her mother had offered her the job with the family foundation and Eden had moved into the elite and well-protected Georgetown area of Washington D.C.

The press still followed her but her father had been kind enough to pay for a private bodyguard for both Eden and Hermione once she turned eighteen and lost her Secret Service protection. In Georgetown, the young women's neighbors were politicians and socialites, not the type of people who were likely to rat you out to the press. Unless it had to do with the family's charity work and political campaigns, Eden and Hermione stayed out of the public eye as much as possible.

Life was about as normal as it was going to get until their father retired from public life and the American public finally figured out that Eden and Hermione were not the second comings of Jackie and Ethel Kennedy.

To cope with stress, Eden had developed a fascination, obsession if you believed Hermione, with Leland Chapman from Dog the Bounty Hunter. She didn't care what Hermione thought, sometimes her stories were the only thing keeping her sane.

Right now was one of those times. Her father was coming up for reelection and it was getting close to time for Eden and Hermione to once again step into the spotlight. They were both dreading it, Eden more than Hermione. Hermione was always so happy-go-lucky that she could smile and put up with almost anything. Eden wished she could be more like her younger sister. Hermione was the brave one, Eden was the coward.

Noticing her inbox blinking, she was surprised she had an e-mail waiting for her on her website. No one ever e-mailed. Leland didn't have a particularly large fan base. She opened the message. Okay, it was one of the crazies...every fandom had them. The ones that e-mailed or left reviews on real-person fanfiction stories as though they knew EVERYTHING about the celebrity in question...even the type of woman he would be interested in.

She sent a polite "Thank you so much." and signed offline.

Grabbing the aspirin off the tray and popping them into her mouth, she washed them down with the rest of her orange juice.

"I still hate you for this hangover." She glared at Hermione jokingly.

The younger woman laughed. "I just mixed the drinks, I didn't make you drink them."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I would like to give credit where credit is due. The idea for the plot of this story isn't original, or even my own. The plot idea came from an author named InsatiableKitty. I'm about to show my age, so bear with me. When I started out writing fanfiction, I was twelve-years-old and a major *NSYNC fan (go ahead laugh, I know you want to). InsatiableKitty wrote *NSYNC fanfiction (J.C. Chasez in particular) and she was the first author that I ever read to use the fanfiction-author-meets-her-favorite-celebrity plotline...though in the almost two decades (God, I'm old!) since, it has been used numerous times. InsatiableKitty disappeared off of the web a long time ago but I wanted to give her the credit that she deserves because she inspired and mentored a lot of us back in the day...and if anyone ever finds any of her stories...let me know! I miss them!
> 
> Author's Note II: If the interaction described between Eden's mother and Queen Elizabeth II over their views on childrearing and nannies sounds familiar...it's because it actually happened. Rose Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy's mother, told the Queen Mother (during Joseph P. Kennedy's time as Ambassador to the Court of St. James during the reign of George VI) that she did not get up to see her children off to school because she was too exhausted because of her social obligations. The Queen Mum replied that she always got up to see her daughters, Princesses Elizabeth, and Margaret, in the mornings...even if she had to go back to bed afterward because of exhaustion. This made me deeply respect her...and anyone who knows my writing knows that I like to sneak history lessons into my stories.
> 
> Author's Note III: I have said this before but I will reiterate...if you like this story, you will probably like Harry and Hermione. Leland is very heavily featured in that story. Both stories are what I call "sisters". Both stories are happening at the exact same time. There are Easter eggs in both stories. Things that are only mentioned in this story are detailed in the other story. My goal, with both stories, was to build up Leland and Prince Harry's friendship. The beginnings of which are seen in chapter seven of Harry and Hermione...Prince Harry will even be Leland's groomsman later on in the story.
> 
> WARNING: If you are a fan of Beth Chapman please do not read beyond this chapter. ***SPOILER ALERT*** I'm sorry to all Dog the Bounty Hunter fans but this story will not be kind to Beth Chapman. I'm not her biggest fan as of late.

Eden returned home from a tiring day at work to find her house empty. This wasn't unusual, Hermione usually had classes until at least six on Fridays. Rummaging through the junk drawer in the kitchen, she pulled out the menu for the local Mexican delivery restaurant that she and Hermione favored and ordered dinner for the two of them. At least one of them really needed to learn how to cook, this takeout habit of theirs was getting expensive. One of the downsides to growing up with maids, chauffeurs, and private chefs was that you left home completely clueless of the basic life skills needed to survive in the real world. Luckily, both Eden and Hermione were neat freaks so they, at least, knew how to clean and did it often.

After her task was done, she retrieved her laptop out of her room and settled on the couch to update her website. She was surprised to find another e-mail waiting for her. And it was from the same person as last time.

*Well, that was a rather short response. Why so unfriendly?*

She had been perfectly polite! What gives? Annoyed, she sent a response.

*I'm sorry if you felt that I was rude but I've learned from experience to keep my interactions with know-it-all fans to a minimum. Fans like you tend to think they know everything, including the kind of woman Leland, would go for. How do you know what type of woman Leland likes? If you want me to be honest, all of my characters are just variations of myself...and trust me Leland would never go for me.*

Rather forcefully she hit the send button as her front door opened. Hermione was home.

Her younger sister was holding a plastic takeout bag in her hand. "Ran into the delivery guy outside," She said dangling the bag in front of her. "Either this is ours...or I just stole someone's dinner."

Eden laughed. "It's ours," She said getting up and taking the bag and making her way into the kitchen.

Hermione followed her, setting her messenger bag and purse on the kitchen counter, she began pulling out a large stack of library books...all about the British Royal Family.

"What's with all of that?" She nodded at the books as she began pulling tacos out of the plastic bag. "Damn, they forgot to include the hot sauce."

"Dad is making me host the reception for Prince Harry that's coming up, I figured that I would read up a bit," Hermione shrugged.

Hermione was always their father's go-to hostess for important visitors. Their mother had rubbed one too many dignitaries the wrong way with her stiff posture and rather dated conversational skills. Truth be told, their mother would have made a great president's wife...in 1950. Queen Elizabeth II hadn't invited the President back to Buckingham Palace since his first and only visit...and her mother was to blame. The Queen had been appalled when her mother had declared, rather proudly, that she had never gotten up in the mornings to see Eden and Hermione off to school when they were younger. She claimed her many social obligations made her too exhausted so she needed her rest. The Queen, rather proudly herself had countered with the fact that she had always gotten up to see her children in the mornings when they were young...even if it meant she had to go back to bed afterward. She had shamed her mother even further by informing her that, in her old age, she still made a habit of getting up early in the mornings to spend time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren when they came to visit. When Eden and Hermione had what had happened they were tempted to send the Queen flowers. Neither were close to their mother and both resented her absence in their childhoods.

Hermione, on the other hand, had a natural way with people. She could talk to you and make you feel like you were the only person in the entire world. Her entire focus was on you when she was speaking to you. She was like the perfect mixture of Jackie Kennedy Onassis and Princess Diana. The public loved her and she didn't even know her own charm. Hermione always thought that she was dull. She was into charity work, she liked helping war orphans and the homeless, and was under the impression that she was a "mousy blonde with dull brown eyes" when in reality she was breathtakingly beautiful.

Eden and Hermione were polar opposites in looks and demeanor. Eden had their father's black hair and green eyes while Hermione had inherited their mother's strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes. Eden was reclusive...she only put herself in the public eye if she absolutely had to. Hermione was always the belle of the ball. She had no problem using her public persona to raise awareness for her charities.

But even with the major differences, the sisters were still close. Hermione could always be counted on to bring out the lighter side of Eden, a rather serious person by nature. Eden could always be relied on to calm her young sister's anxiety, which could be rather severe at times and was the result of one too many negative press articles printed about her.

"I used to have a huge crush on Prince William when I was younger," Eden sighed dreamily as she pulled plates out of the cupboard.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Trust me, I remember. Then you discovered Leland and the balding prince was forgotten," She said sarcastically as she began piling tacos on the plates that Eden had set on the counter.

Before Eden had a chance to respond, her phone went off indicating that she had a new e-mail. Pulling her cell phone out of her back jeans pocket, she opened the message.

*I know what type of woman Leland likes...because this is Leland.*

"What the fuck?!"

Half a world away in Hawaii, Leland was staring at his computer screen in shock. Had he really just sent that?! What the hell was he thinking?!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING*: If you are a fan of Beth Chapman...turn back now. This chapter is NOT kind to her and neither is the rest of this story.

Kona, Hawaii  
Da Kine Bail Bonds Offices

 

Had he seriously just been stupid enough to send that e-mail? What the hell was wrong with him? If he was being honest with himself he knew the answer, after reading her stories he had developed what could only be called a crush on the faceless nameless author known as Eden'sCrush...but Leland wasn't very good at being honest with himself. That's probably why he was currently sitting smack dab in the middle of chaos.

Duane Lee and Beth were at it again, what Duane Lee did this time, who knew? Beth seemed to find any tiny reason to pick a fight with Duane Lee these days. As usual instead of dealing with the problem head on his father was staying home in protest, the cameras were rolling, Wesley and Lyssa were rushing to Duane Lee's defense and Leland...he was staying the hell out of it. This shit was getting old...and he had a feeling Beth was doing it all for the benefit of the cameras.

Maybe that's why he found himself so drawn to the stories of Eden'sCrush. The women depicted were loving, kind, maternal, and above all else loyal. When she had told him that all of the women were just different variations of her personally, he couldn't resist revealing who he was.

He hated to admit it but while the fighting was going on around him, he was sitting at his desk using the deductive reasoning skills that he had picked up over the years on the job. All of her characters were different in appearance but at the same time, they also shared a few common traits. They all had dark, straight hair. They all had blue, green, or violet eyes. They were all average height to tall. They all came from upper middle-class to affluent backgrounds. They were all hourglass shaped. His mystery author's general appearance and background could be guessed at and Leland couldn't help but like the images that he kept creating in his mind's eye.

"Leland, what do you have to say about all this? Want to get your two-cents in?" Beth questioned.

She was always nicer to him than she was to his other siblings...at least, the ones not related to her by blood. That was probably because he owned half of Da Kine Bail Bonds, a fact that Beth tried very hard to conceal from the public. She wanted it to seem the like she and his father had built the business up by themselves, from scratch.

He had no idea what they had been talking, or yelling, about, having tuned them out when the argument had first started.

"You brother over here wrote a bond without a co-signer...a $30,000 bond!" She screeched.

Leland knew exactly the bond that she was talking about. The guy had been busted for driving without a license, on the exact day his license was revoked due to a drunk driving charge. Duane Lee had bonded the guy numerous times before and the guy had always come through and shown up for court. Duane Lee had also helped the guy into a rehab program and he was checking in every day, right on time. Leland didn't feel like his money was at risk and he trusted his brother. He didn't see what the big deal was about.

"Duane Lee didn't write that bond Beth, I did," He lied on his brother's behalf. He knew she wouldn't dare lay into him.

"Then why does the application have his signature on it and not yours?" She challenged.

"Because that was the day I had to pick Dakota up from school early because he got sick. I started and approved the application, Duane Lee just finished the paperwork," He wondered if it was a bad thing that he was so good at lying on his feet?

"Oh, well, I trust your judgment, Leland," She said and left the room, not even bothering to stop and apologize to Duane Lee...probably because she knew he was lying and Duane Lee really had been the one to write the bond.

Once she was out of earshot, Duane Lee rolled his desk chair over to his desk.

"Thanks for that," He lounged in his chair. "I don't know how much longer I can deal with this bra," He confided.

"I'm with you there, and I'm sure tweedle dee and tweedle dumb over there are too," He closed his laptop screen so that his brother wouldn't see what he had been doing, or who he had been talking to, on the internet.

Duane Lee looked over to where Wesley and Lyssa were hunched over at Lyssa's desk...almost certainly bitching about Beth.

His cell phone vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he discovered that he had a new e-mail...from Eden'sCrush.

 

Washington, D.C.  
Eden and Hermione's House

 

"What the fuck?!"

Hermione looked up at her sister in alarm at her sudden outburst. "What's wrong?"

Eden passed her sister her cellphone so she could read the e-mail exchange.

Hermione took a moment to read the e-mails before looking up.

"Probably just some bored troll, here, I'll get rid of him for you." She quickly composed a response and hit the send button. "There, I can guarantee you, you will never hear from whoever that was again," She said confidently.

Eden looked at the two-word message Hermione had sent and chuckled.

 

Kona, Hawaii

 

*PROVE IT!*

That was what the e-mail response said. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound. He looked at the newspaper that sat on the glass coffee table. Getting up, he grabbed and handed his phone to Duane Lee.

"Here, take my picture holding this," He instructed.

Duane Lee gave him an odd look. "Why? Are we being held for ransom and need to provide proof of life?"

Leland came up with his third lie in an hour. "No, I meet this chick online and she doesn't believe I am who I say I am."

"Bra, if she doesn't live in Hawaii, she isn't going to know that that is today's newspaper," His older brother pointed out. "She won't be able to see the date in the picture, it's printed too small." He went and grabbed a memo pad and black marker off of the coffee table. "What's her name?"

Now he was busted. "Eden." He left of the 'crush' part but the look in his brother's eyes told him that he knew exactly who Eden was and they would be discussing it in the very near future out of earshot of the camera booms. Duane Lee quickly scribbled something on the pad and tossed it at him.

Apparently it was two-word message day. All he had written was:

Hi, Eden!!!

He held it in front of his chest and let Duane Lee snap a picture.

Taking back his phone and under the disapproving glare of his older brother, he sent the photo.

 

Washington, D.C.

 

Eden was lounging on the couch with her feet in Hermione's lap flipping through books about the Royal Family when her phone again went off.

Grabbing it off of the coffee table, she rolled her eyes when she saw who it was from. "This guy isn't going to quit,"

"You have to be kidding me," Hermione leaned over to read the message over her shoulder as she opened it.

When they both saw the picture, it was Hermione's turn to use a few choice words.

"Holy fucking shit!"


	5. Chapter 5

Kona, Hawaii

 

When Leland had snuck off to the parking lot for a smoke break is when Duane Lee had pounced.

"What the hell are you doing man?" His older brother appeared out of what seemed like nowhere. "Getting involved with a fan is all kinds of stupid. Do you not remember how you got Leiah?"

Drunken one-night stand with a fan...who had cut and run the moment that Leiah was born...a lot like his ex-wife had done after Cobie was born five years ago. He could understand why his brother was concerned but he was going with his gut on this one and his gut was telling him that everything was going to be okay.

"I know what I'm doing bra," He stomped his cigarette out and breezed past Duane Lee and back into the building.

 

Washington, D.C.

 

"This can't be freaking happening!" Eden was pacing back and forth in the living room in front of the fireplace. Every few seconds she would look down at the picture on her phone.

If you asked her to make a list of the top ten people that she didn't want to visit her website, Leland Chapman would have the number one spot...right above her mother.

This was her worst nightmare and it was coming true.

"Breathe Eden, just breathe," Hermione tried to calm her down. "You're just another fan hidden behind a computer screen, he has no idea who you really are. I'd stop freaking out and have some fun with this if I were you."

Eden stopped pacing. Hermione had a point. For all Leland knew, she was some bored housewife in Oklahoma or some lonely college sorority sister in Michigan.

She grabbed her laptop, bid Hermione a quick goodnight, and beat a speedy retreat to her bedroom.

Sitting Indian-style in the center of her bed she began composing an e-mail to Leland.

*Leland,

I'm so sorry for being rude. You have some crazy fans...but I guess that's probably what you think I am, huh?

I'm glad you liked my stories but if my site in any way offends you, I'd be happy to take it down.

Love,

Eden*

She hit the send button, closed the laptop and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

 

Kona, Hawaii

 

Leland was sitting on his couch having a beer after putting the kids to bed when he next had a chance to check his e-mail. He smiled when he read her reply. So she was shy and a touch anti-social...just like him. Okay, so he was continuing to profile her. He just couldn't turn it off.

Finishing off his beer, he composed a reply.

*Eden,

I'm not sure I want to know how crazy my fans can be and you are forgiven.

No, I don't think you are crazy...maybe a little shy and lonely but not crazy.

I don't just like your stories, Eden, I love them. I'm not offended by them in the least.

You kind of have me between a rock and a hard place. Your stories have been helping me de-stress the last few days. They've given me a lot of hope for the future. I DON'T want you to stop writing them. I just don't want them shared with the entire world. I've read some of the comments on your stories. Some of them are downright disturbing.

I guess I'd like it if you would write them just for me...

Are all of your characters really just different write-ups of yourself?

Leland*

 

Washington, D.C.

 

When Eden read the e-mail, she was stunned.

Leland Chapman wanted her to be his own personal fanfiction writer.

She couldn't believe it but she found herself taking down her website before she replied.

*Leland,

I took my website down. I will e-mail my updates directly to you from now on.

Yeah, I guess you could say my characters are all different versions of myself, why?

Yes, I'm anti-social, which given my life is actually kind of funny.

Love,

Eden*

 

Kona, Hawaii

 

As Leland read her e-mail while lying in bed later that night his suspicions of anti-social behavior were confirmed. Even her e-mails were a bit awkward...it was cute.

He also found himself starting to fall for the faceless Eden. He didn't know why but there was just something about her. From reading her stories he knew that a quiet sweetheart with a kind and passionate heart had to be hidden underneath the cold and serious front she was currently putting up. He wanted to be the one to bring out the softer and opener side of Eden.

He chose his words carefully in his next e-mail. It was almost like he was speaking to a criminal he wanted to get information out of.

*Eden,

I really appreciate you taking the website down. I really do love your stories but I would prefer they stayed just between us.

I'm happy to know that your characters are really just you in different wrappers. I told you that you have my idea of the perfect woman, well perfectly. Glad to know that woman actually exists. I just wish I knew what you looked like...

What about your life makes that fact that you are shy so weird? Lots of people are shy.

Yours,

Leland*

 

 

Washington, D.C.

 

It was two in the morning and Eden was still wide awake.

Sitting, one again, in the center of her bed, she was nursing a glass of whiskey and staring at her computer screen where Leland's most recent e-mail was displayed.

He wanted to know what she looked like. He was writing to her as though he was interested in her.

What did she do? Should she send him a photo? She really needed Hermione's advice but Eden wasn't brave enough to wake her at this time of the night. Her baby sister could be downright evil when woken too early.

"Be like Hermione," She said to herself.

She polished off her glass of whiskey, feeling it burn as it went down and the delicious relaxed feeling that came along with its consumption. Going through the pictures on her computer, she found her favorite photo of herself.

It was a photo of herself and her father at a campaign stop in Hawaii, her first visit to the islands, during his first run for the presidency. They were dressed down. She in jean shorts and a red tank top. He in white slacks and a Hawaiian shirt. They were standing side-by-side on the beach and smiling.

She attached the photo to her reply e-mail. She kept her message brief...simply because she was nervous as hell.

*Leland,

This is a photo of me and my dad. Now, do you understand why it's weird that I'm so shy?

Love,

Eden*

She hit the send button before she had time to second guess what she was doing.


	6. Chapter 6

Leland was glad that it was Saturday and he wasn't expected into work. It was five in the morning and the kids were not yet awake and he was staring at his laptop screen in shock.

Eden was Eden fucking James, the drop-dead gorgeous daughter of the President of the United States. How in the hell had this happened?

Now, he was the one who was starstruck. He had been attracted to the younger woman, she was in her mid-twenties, ever since he had first seen her on the news when her father was running for president. She had jet-black hair and emerald green eyes and was at least as tall as him if not taller. She reminded him of Amy Lee in a lot of ways...if Amy Lee was a supermodel.

This incredibly beautiful and cultured woman was interested in him. He couldn't let her slip through his fingers.

He turned on the TV that sat on his dresser and flipped to the local news as he thought about what he was going to say. Needing to share this information with people he trusted he opened an e-mail window and attached the photo that Eden had sent him. He sent the e-mail to Duane Lee, Wesley, and Lyssa with the following message:

****This is Eden. How the hell did this happen?****

As he opened another e-mail window to compose a message to Eden, the news managed to get his attention.

"The White House is preparing for a royal visit this month. Prince Harry will be making a brief tour of the United States at the end of the month and the White House press office has issued a statement announcing that Hermione James, President James youngest daughter will be hosting the reception to welcome him to the White House. President James other daughter, Eden, will also be in attendance as a select number of VIP tickets are being issued for the event to benefit the James Foundation of which Eden is a managing director."

A picture of Eden and her sister with their father at an official White House appeared briefly on the screen.

Leland felt his heart rate go up. No woman had ever done this to him before...and he had never even met the woman.

He looked to his computer screen and noticed he had an e-mail from Duane Lee. His brother always woke up freakishly early. Wesley and Lyssa, on the other hand, he didn't expect to hear from until at least afternoon. They both slept in on weekends. He opened the message and had to chuckle.

****Bra, forget everything I said yesterday. GO FOR IT!****

With his brother's blessing, he relaxed a bit and started his e-mail to Eden.

****Eden, I am kind of speechless right now. I knew exactly who you were the moment I opened your picture. I actually recognized you before your dad. I've been attracted to you for a long time. And just so you know, I like the fact that you are shy because I'm shy too. So, I was wondering if maybe you would like to get to know each other better, you know, see where this could go?****

He hit send and prayed for a positive response.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Eden was watching Hermione attempting to cook shrimp alfredo with great amusement. She really hoped that she wasn't going to be forced to eat the glob that was boiling ominously in the saucepan. Why she was doing this so early in the morning Eden had no idea. She long ago stopped questioning her little sister's odd behavior.

Her cell phone dinged and she found an e-mail waiting from Leland. Taking a deep breath, she opened the e-mail...and was completely floored.

"What's with that look?" Hermione asked as she gave up on her sauce and took it off the stove to dump out.

"Leland wants to date me," Eden answered. She was still looking down at her phone as though she couldn't believe what she was reading.

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks. "Are you for real right now?"

Eden nodded.

Hermione started jumping up and down and clapping. "Go to go, big sis!"

Eden didn't respond. She took her cell phone and went and sat in the living room. She had no idea how to respond to Leland's e-mail. Of course, she wanted to date him. That had been her dream since she was a teenager. She was worried that she would be too awkward and shy to actually maintain a relationship with him. Her dates never worked out simply because she wasn't good in social situations. The last person she wanted to mess things up with was Leland. Their e-mail exchanges were safe. What Leland was suggesting was taking things to a whole other level. Going with honesty, she sent her reply.

****Leland, I would really love to get to know you better but I'm scared. I'm really socially awkward and my dates have never really worked out because I get too shy to hold conversations...or eye contact. I really don't want to start anything with you and mess it up. Plus, I know you have kids and while I LOVE kids, I don't want them to feel weird around me if things progressed because I'm so awkward. I really don't know if I'm saying yes or no right now...help?****

She hit send and went to rejoin Hermione in the kitchen...where her sister was putting out a small fire resulting from leaving the water for the noodles on boil for way too long. She'd tell her about her response just as soon as the smoke in the kitchen cleared...speaking of which someone really needed to open a window.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I am so sorry for how long this story sat updated and I sincerely apologize for the shortness of this chapter. Honestly, it's just a filler chapter to get us to the good stuff. The next chapter will be MUCH longer, I PROMISE.
> 
> Author's Note II: The book that Hermione is reading, After Diana, is actually a very good read for anyone interested in the British royal family. It focuses on the lives of Princes William and Harry after the death of their mother. Most Christopher Anderson biographies are enjoyable. The only one I wouldn't recommend is Sweet Caroline about Caroline Kennedy...very boring and phoned in.

Kona, Hawaii

Leland had just finished feeding the kids' breakfast when his phone vibrated indicating that he had either a text message or e-mail. As he was in the middle of dressing Leiah when it arrived and had to take the boys to Little League directly after, he didn't check it right away.

Washington, D.C.

Eden was freaking out again. She had e-mailed Leland four hours ago and still hadn't gotten a response.

"He thinks I'm insane," She paced the living room wringing her hands. "I never should have told him who I was!" Her voice got higher with every word that she spoke.

Hermione was sitting in the window seat reading After Diana by Christopher Anderson and didn't even look up as she said, "He has kids and an unpredictable job." She pointed out. "He's probably just busy. Now calm down or I'm buying a tranq gun."

Kona, Hawaii

It was after five when Leland finally got around to reading Eden's e-mail. After Little League, there had been a family dinner at his dad's place. Seeing as everyone was mad at each other it had been awkward as hell...and with Wesley and Lyssa begging for details on Eden he had grabbed the kids and left as soon as he politely could.

When he read through the e-mail he had to laugh. Eden was so awkward and insecure that it was almost adorable...and a little sad. He quickly sent a reply.

Eden,

Sorry that it took me so long to reply, I've been busy with the kids and family today. Sweetheart, I need you to relax and stop overthinking things. You can't be scared to try. You'll never know if we have a chance if you don't try.

808-555-1988

Call or text me and we'll talk about it.

Love,

Leland

Washington D.C.

It was a little after eleven and Eden was sitting with Hermione watching reruns of Scrubs when she received Leland's e-mail on her phone. Opening and reading it she got on an odd mixture of nervous and happy at the same time.

"Who is it?" Hermione asked.

"Leland, he said it took so long to reply because he's been busy," Eden replied.

"Told ya," Hermione gave her a pointed look. "What else did he say?"

"He gave me his number," Eden couldn't believe it. Now, the question was...was she brave enough to use it?

"Call him!" Hermione encouraged.


	8. Chapter 8

Eden took her phone and went and hid in her room to get away from Hermione. She sat on her bed and looked at the phone number that she had copied down on to the palm of her left hand. Should she call him? Could she be that brave? What time was it in Hawaii anyway? She had only received his e-mail fifteen minutes ago so there was no way Leland was sleeping yet...was there? Once again, she took a page out of Hermione's playbook.

She picked up her phone and dialed.

Leland answered on the second ring. "Hello there, beautiful," His island accent sounded the exact same over the phone as it did on TV.

"How...did...yo...you...know?" She stumbled over her words. With as nervous as she was feeling she was lucky she had spoken at all.

He laughed. "Not many people call me from a D.C. area code," He answered.

"Oh," That was all she had to say...literally, there were no other words in her brain.

"So, what's the hideous deformity? Do you have a tail? Well-hidden hunchback? Oh, I know! You have Phantom of the Opera like scars and your face is just a really good life-like mask!"

What in the name of the Blessed Mother was he talking about?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Well, from what I can tell, you're smart, have a good job, you're fine as hell, and you're a very talented writer." His voice got a little huskier when he said that. "There has to be something wrong with you for you to be so shy."

"I just don't like being around people," Eden laughed. "I like the quiet."

"So do I," Leland responded. "The one thing I hate about my job and boxing matches is having to be around a lot of people. I'm the most out of place, unfriendly parent at all my boys' baseball games."

This made Eden laugh because after seeing his television show she could actually picture it.

"I'm better one on one," He continued. "You wrote something into one of your stories, my dad saying something that he says all of the time, "Leland, go talk to her son." My dad says that because I'm better one on one and no real help doing things like passing out flyers. We learn to adjust to our shyness."

He was certainly endearing himself more to her but she had no idea where the conversation was going.

"Leland, why are you telling me all of this?" She asked bluntly.

He gave a husky laugh before he answered. "Because you are the exact opposite," He informed her. "You do better with large crowds, even though you do not like them, then you do one on one. We even each other out. I was thinking if we're going to be weird and awkward anyway, we might as well be weird and awkward together." He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. "And you're not going to scar or mess up my kids because you're shy. Cobie thinks he's Batman, Dakota spends most of his time either building or destroying something, and Leiah's favorite form of entertainment is the ceiling fan in my bedroom. They're weird kids, they'll adjust. I think they'll just be happy to have a mother in their lives." He defended against her next argument before she could even make it.

Wait, a minute...had he said mother?

"Mother?" She asked weakly.

"Yep," Could you hear a smirk in a person's voice? If you could, Leland was totally smirking. "Their moms aren't in the picture. I'm looking for a wife AND mother for my kids." He informed her.

Wife? Had he said, wife?

"Wife?" It was getting hard to breathe.

"Breathe sweetheart," He chuckled. "Is the idea of being with me, being a mother, so horrifying? Are those stories you write really horror, not romance?"

"No, of course not!"

"Then why are you scared to let me love you?"

Did he really have to say, love?

"Because, I'm scared of having what I write about and having it all taken away." She was honest for the first time. "I'm scared of having a for-show-only type of marriage like my parents."

"I kinda figured it was something like that," Leland told her gently. "And that won't happen with me, sweetheart, I promise. But I can't show you unless you give me a chance."

He was right. If she didn't step up and take a chance, she was destined to spend the rest of her life alone. Leland was literally the man of her dreams. Millions of women would kill for the chance that fate was offering her.

"You're right," She said softly. "I want to try...and I want to try with you." Her voice was still soft but she said those words with conviction.

"I'm real happy to hear that, sweetheart," This time Eden was sure that she heard a smile in his voice.


	9. Chapter 9

Over the course of the next week, Eden grew more and more comfortable talking to Leland. She no longer stuttered when they spoke and the anxiety attacks every time she noticed his name on her call I.D. had ceased. She actually grew excited when he called as opposed to anxious.

She had even managed to speak with both Dakota and Cobie with being awkward. They made it hard to be because, well, Leland was right...they were weird kids.

She had spoken to Dakota first. Apparently, he had been tinkering with the automatic door opener on Leland's detached garage in the middle of the night and blown the motor. He had been using his father's cell phone as a flashlight but didn't know the pattern password to gain access to any other part of the phone besides 911 and the last number dialed...which had been her. The boy had explained his predicament to her and asked her to call the house phone so his father could rescue him from a night spent with a Hummer and a motorcycle. Eden had found herself too worried about the young boy's safety to be shy and awkward. She had hung up and quickly dialed the number for Leland's house phone. He had answered on the sixth ring and far from being worried he had been downright annoyed. Apparently, his tinker-happy son had been trying to install a clap-on/clap-off opening device on the garage, one that the clever boy had designed himself, and after he had told his son that he couldn't test it on said garage, he had been sneaking out at night to work on it. The week before Wesley had called to inform him, at one in the morning no less, that Dakota was trapped in the garage by a garage door that was going berserk. The door was wildly opening and closing and Leland had been forced to jam the door with a large rock to stop it, blowing the motor. This was the second one that he was going to have to replace in under a month. That was the night that Leland had admitted to sometimes feeling guilty for wishing he had dumber kids.

When she had first spoken to Cobie, he had stolen the phone from his father while he been talking to her on speaker while he bathed a giggling Leiah. The little boy had snatched the phone off of the bathroom counter and ran. Seeing as Leland couldn't leave his infant daughter alone and helpless in a tub of water, she and Cobie had a few minutes to talk.

He had started the conversation by introducing himself as Batman, deep voice and all.

She had played along, pretending to be in awe of speaking to the Caped Crusader.

He told her he was in search of his parents killed and that was when an annoyed Leland finally managed to grab his phone back. Cobie was in the background screaming, still in his Batman voice, that he wanted to know where Sabrina Kyle was. That was the afternoon that Leland was ashamed to admit that he sometimes wished that his children hadn't been born with such active imaginations.

Eden had been toying with an idea for a couple of days now and she decided to run it past Hermione before she took it to Leland.

She found her sister lying in her bed reading some biography about Prince Harry. Her little sister sure was cramming for the upcoming royal visit.

"Herms," She leaned against the doorframe. "Can I ask your opinion on something?" Eden was curious if it was normal for an older sister to rely so much on her younger sister. Wasn't the older sister supposed to be the strong one?

"What's up, buttercup?" Hermione looked up from her book.

"Do you think it would be a good idea to invite Leland and his kids to the welcoming banquet for Prince Harry?" She chewed nervously on her bottom lip.

Hermione seemed to think about it for a moment before a smile slowly spread across her face. "I think that would be a wonderful idea, sissy."

Now that she had Hermione's approval, Eden's concern turned to their mother and her very Catholic beliefs. Leland was divorced and Leiah had been born out of wedlock. Rosemary James would never approve.

"You're worried about Mother," Hermione read her mind and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about the bat," She waved her hand. "Can I borrow your cell phone?" She changed the subject. "Mine's dead and I wanted to look something about up about Prince Harry getting caught smoking pot that I read about."

If Eden had been more observant she would have noticed Hermione's cell phone sitting on her nightstand and connected to its charger. She would also have noticed the laptop at the end of the bed and the iPad hanging out of the messenger bag laying on the floor right next to the door. She probably wouldn't have been so quick to type in her password and hand over her phone if she had noticed.

Hermione took the phone and scrolled through her contact list. Finding Leland's number she pressed the call button.

"Hi, Leland?" Her sister said pleasantly once he had answered. She was going to die just as soon as she hung up the phone. "This is Hermione, Eden's sister. How are you?"

What the hell was she doing?

"I'm calling on behalf of my sister, White House rules I'm afraid. Eden and my family would very much like it if you and your children would be our guests at the reception to welcome Prince Harry to America next Thursday night at the White House."

Yep, her parents needed to pick out a plot and hire a hearse because she was going to kill her sister slowly.

"Really? That's awesome. I'll let her know." She hung up the phone with a smirk.

"What did he say?" Eden asked nervously.

"That the kids are out of school for spring break next week and they would be happy to come. He wants you to call him so the two of you can work out the details."

Okay, Hermione could live.


	10. Chapter 10

"Yeah, sweetheart the plane's boarding in a few hours and I only have Cobie half packed, I freakin' swear there is a clothing elf in this house and he only like Batman's clothes." Leland was complaining to her as he packed for his trip to D.C.

"Finally! You admit it! I AM BATMAN!" She heard Cobie yell in the background.

"You are not Batman! Get off of my bed with those dirty sneakers!" Eden listened as Leland chased Batman from the room.

"Oh, you can laugh," He huffed when he finally returned his attention to her. "Do you know how long I'm going to be stuck on a plane with that boy? And six-month-old? And Dakota?"

This only made her laugh harder.

"Is seeing me not worth it?" She flirted. That was something else she was slowly getting comfortable with – flirting. There was barely a moment where Leland wasn't flirting so she learned pretty quick.

"My woman's always worth it," His reply was husky and worked the butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy...but it probably would have been sexier if she couldn't hear his baby girl giggling in the background.

"I know, pumpkin, daddy's fan is awesome right?" He turned his attention to his daughter. "Enjoy it while it lasts because when you're older it's going to take a million and a half screens to keep your attention."

Eden took it back. Listening to Leland interact with his children was the sexist thing that she had ever heard in her life.

"Dad! Grandma Beth is here!" She heard Dakota yell.

"Wonderful," Leland muttered under his breath.

His relationship with Beth was extremely strained. He had told her that his step-mother got off on drama and attention. When there wasn't enough drama to get her the attention that she craved, Beth would just create it herself. She was putting a major wedge between her husband and his children. She was making work unbearable and always had her nose in everyone else's personal lives. She was always on the lookout for the next good storyline for the family's far-from-reality reality show. He couldn't be happy that she was stopping by.

"Sweetheart, I have to run...hey, I just thought about something." His tone suddenly took on a happier note.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"The next time I speak to you, I'll be holding you in my arms."

Eden definitely liked the sound of that.

A few hours later found Eden obsessively cleaning the house. She had prepared the guest rooms and cleaned the house from top to bottom. When she ran out of things to clean she invented things to clean.

She was in the middle of scrubbing the living room walls when Hermione walked in the front door.

"Prince Harry is going to be staying for two days. Dad wants me to stay in the Lincoln Bedroom and be his hostess the entire time." Hermione said in a very monotone voice as she dropped her black leather purse by the front door.

Eden wasn't seeing the problem. Hermione was a regular Sally Social. She loved doing these kind of things.

"What's wrong with that? You've played hostess for Dad before." She shook her head in confusion.

Seeing as their mother was even chillier than the iceberg that took down the Titanic and we have already firmly established that Eden was more socially awkward than a tween girl meeting her favorite boy-band member, Hermione rained over most social events at the White House.

Hermione pinched her fingers together in front of her face. "I have a little bit of a crush on Prince Harry."

After getting a good laugh and assuring her younger sister that she was beautiful and totally in Prince Harry's league, Hermione finally addressed what she had caught her sister doing.

"Why are you scrubbing the walls?" She scrunched up her nose. "We just had them papered a month ago."

Eden had no valid reason for her actions.


	11. Chapter 11

Eden's alarm clock went off at two in the morning but she had already been awake for an hour. Leland would be at her front door in less than an hour. His flight would just now be getting in and he had insisted on taking a taxi to her house. He didn't want her driving to pick him and the kids up so late...or early, depending on how you looked at it.

She pushed herself out of bed and dressed in a pair of jeans and a Secret Service t-shirt. She quietly tiptoed into the living room...she didn't want to wake Hermione. She knew her younger sister could be a royal pain in the butt sometimes and she didn't want to have to deal with her while meeting Leland for the first time...too bad the little twit had other plans.

Hermione was already in the living room when she arrived. Dressed in a pair of Doctor Who Don't Blink pajamas she was laying on the couch reading yet another biography about Prince Harry. She really was taking her research to a whole new level.

"What are you doing up?" She groaned as she picked up Hermione's feet and sat down, letting the green-clad feet come to rest on her lap.

Hermione laughed a little. "I haven't been to sleep yet...Prince Harry is arriving tomorrow." So, Hermione was a bundle of nerves for once. Eden never thought that she would live to see the day. "Plus, I didn't want to miss the show." Her sister mumbled to herself and Eden found herself hating her just as much as she loved her.

The doorbell rang and Eden jumped almost a foot in the air.

"Do you want me to get it?" Hermione asked gently, as though she was speaking to an escaped mental patient.

Eden took it all back. She didn't hate Hermione at all...she loved her move than words could ever possibly explain. Having her sister there providing her with an out actually gave her the courage to get to her feet and answer the door.

When she came face to face with a travel weary Leland holding a sleeping Cobie in his arms while a half awake Dakota stood at his side holding the handle of Leiah's baby carrier, she couldn't believe that he was there; that he had actually traveled all that way for her. She promptly burst into tears and Hermione rushed to her side.

Hermione smiled at Leland and the kids before reaching forward and taking the sleeping Cobie out of a surprised Leland's arms. "Why don't you kiddos come with Aunt Hermione and we will get you into bed," She said gently as she carried Cobie in one arm and reached out and took Leiah's baby carrier with the other so Dakota could grab the baby's travel crib. She leads the kids away, towards the already prepared guest rooms.

Eden was going to petition the Vatican to have her kid sister canonized after her death. Hermione truly was a saint in her eyes. The last thing she wanted was for Leland's kids to see her a weeping mess and Hermione knew that.

Once Hermione and the kids were out of eyesight, Leland shocked her by pulling her firmly into his arms.

"What...?" She started to say but she was cut off by Leland's lips crashing down on hers.

All coherent thought left her as he nibbled on her bottom lip.

"I told you that the next time that I spoke to you I would be holding you in my arms," He told her as he pulled away and rested his forehead against hers. He reached up and gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. "And I've wanted to do that ever since I read Blame It On Seven and Ireland put that snake in Seven's desk drawer."

Eden laughed. "I can't believe that you're really here." She whispered.

She felt his arms tighten around her waist.

"Believe it, baby," He laid another gentle kiss on her lips. "Now, seeing as your awesome sister is putting the kids to bed...I think that I need to join them in dreamland...been awake since five yesterday morning."

Eden pulled away and smiled. "I've got one of the guest rooms made up for you," She took his hand and pulled him inside. After the grabbed all of the luggage, she locked the door and started leading him out of the living room and towards the sleeping quarters.

She only made it about a foot before Leland stopped her and gently pulled her back into his arms. "I don't want to sleep in the guest room," He told her firmly. "If I only have a week with you, I want to go to bed with you at night,"

Eden paled and her heart almost stopped beating. Well, this was going to be one hell of an awkward conversation. One that she hadn't planned on having so early in their relationship. Why did she have to be such a good little Catholic girl?

As it turned out, Eden didn't have to say anything at all.

"I know, sweetheart," He whispered tenderly in her ear. "I ain't asking you to give me that treasure...not yet anyway."

A chill ran down her spine at his words.

"I just want...no...I NEED to go to sleep with my woman in my arms."

The way he said, "my woman" almost made it sound like she was possession. She should have been upset but as she lay in bed in the early morning hours with one of Leland's arms around her waist as he spooned behind her, stroking her hair and telling her how beautiful she was and how amazing she made him feel...she couldn't help but want to belong to him.


	12. Chapter 12

By the time Eden awoke the sun was high in the sky and children's laughter could be heard coming from somewhere in the house.

Leland was still in bed beside her; his front spooned to her back and his arm around her waist.

She sighed and cuddled a little further into him.

"Looks like someone is finally awake,"

She jumped a little at his voice. She hadn't known that he was awake.

She turned in his arms and noticed that he was wearing sweatpants and a wifebeater. He had gone to bed in nothing but his boxer/briefs. She looked at him in confusion.

"It's almost eleven, sweetheart," He chuckled. "I've been up for a few hours,"

"So, you've been laying here awake the whole time?" She suddenly found herself feeling kind of guilty – not to mention lazy.

She rarely slept past seven. Rising early was something that had been drilled into her head at her strict Catholic convent school where she had risen with the dawn every morning, even on weekends, for prayers and morning Mass.

"No," He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. "I checked on the kids but your sister seems to enjoy their crazy and assures me that she has them. She may be the Chapman Whisperer,"

This made her giggle. "Hermione loves kids and looking after them is probably helping her relax,"

"What's she stressed out about?" Leland asked as he propped his head up against some pillows and pulled her to lay against his firm chest.

"She has a crush on Prince Harry and our dad is forcing her to be his official hostess for his entire stay." She explained. "She was supposed to stay at the White House last night but she talked dad into letting her stay home because of her nerves."

"So, she's pretty freaked out about the arrival ceremony you're going to this afternoon, huh?" He started running his hand up and down her spine.

"Yeah," She nuzzled into his neck. "But I'm more scared of what my mom is going to do when she sees you and the boys at the gala," She admitted.

Her Irish Catholic mother was NOT going to approve of her boyfriend. He was divorced and had a child out of wedlock. Both were big no-nos according to the church.

While she had arranged for a neighbor girl to babysit Leiah, the boys would be attending the gala with them.

He stopped stroking her back and tightened his arms around her.

"I don't care what your mother thinks of me, sweetheart," He spoke into her hair in a husky whisper. "I'm in love with you, not her,"

The whole world seemed to stop spinning in that moment and she would have sworn that her heart actually stopped beating briefly.

She picked up her head to look at him. "Say that again," She demanded. She had to be sure that she had heard him correctly.

He smiled at her and buried a hand in her hair. "I'm in love with you, Eden,"

She bit her lip and eyed him shyly before making her confession. "I'm in love with you too, Leland...and I'm not scared anymore,"

Her admission was met by a blinding smile before he pulled her into a breathtaking kiss and the world started spinning again.


	13. Chapter 13

Besides sex, the only step left to take in their relationship was for Eden to meet Leland's kids. This step would be kind of hard to avoid with them all being in the same house.

After a quick shower, Eden dressed in a pair of low-rise jeans and a tight long, black t-shirt.

Leland was already out with the kids. Hermione had left early to get ready for the welcoming ceremony for Prince Harry that would be taking place later in the afternoon.

Taking a deep, calming breath and counting to ten, she opened the bedroom door made her way towards what sounded like Leland scolding Dakota for something.

Arriving in the living room all of her nerves vanished at the amusing sight that met her.

Dakota was standing sheepishly in front of an annoyed Leland. A dismantled children's tablet lay on the floor in-between them. It was surrounded by a bunch of tiny screwdrivers. Little Cobie stood next to them looking like he was close to tears. Leiah sat on a blanket on the floor, sucking on a bottle and silently watching the show.

"Dakota Chapman, what have I told you about takin' apart other people's stuff?" Leland asked sternly.

Eden stopped in the doorway to observe. She wanted to see how the man she loved interacted with his children when he thought no one was looking. How a person treated their children spoke a lot towards their character.

"Not to," Dakota mumbled.

Leland sighed and ran a hand over his face. "Go get me your iPad," He ordered.

Dakota's eyes widened in horror.

"But I can put it back together and it'll work fine!" The boy protested.

Leland nodded. "And you're going to," He assured him. "But you're still losing your iPad for the rest of the trip,"

"How am I going to play my Batman game?" Little Cobie interrupted in a sad little whimper.

Taking pity on the boy, Eden finally entered the room and grabbed her tablet off of the coffee table.

Walking up to Cobie, she handed it to him. "Here, Cobie, you can play your game on mine until Dakota fixes yours," She told him warmly.

The little boy's face lit up as he took it.

"Thank you!" He beamed.

Eden looked over and caught Leland's eye. He was smiling in a way that managed to be sexy and innocent at the same time.

"Boys, I want you to meet my girlfriend, Eden," Leland made introductions. "Eden, I'd like you to meet Dakota and Cobie,"

She smiled as Cobie gave her a one-armed hug still holding the tablet.

"Hi, Eden," Dakota was friendly but she could tell he was still smarting over his punishment.

Eden decided to exercise the limited time power that came with being the new kid on the block.

"Hey, Dakota, did you know that I'm the president's daughter?" She asked mischievously.

Leland was looking at her curiously.

Dakota simply nodded.

"Well, as the president's daughter I have the power to presidently pardon punishments," She lied.

Leland chuckled and shook his head when he caught on to what she was doing.

"Really?" Dakota perked up.

"Yep," She tried not to laugh. "And I guess I can pardon your iPad punishment...just this once."

Dakota looked to his father for confirmation.

Leland shrugged. "You heard the lady,"

The boy fist-pumped the air in victory.

Leland rolled his eyes. "Since you're getting' off light, run into the guest room and grab a diaper for your sister,"

Dakota took off without another word.

Eden laughed a Leland leaned down and picked his daughter up before making his way to her side. He placed a kiss on her lips before taking the diaper Dakota had returned with.

Dakota sat on the floor to put Cobie's tablet back together and Cobie sat on the couch playing on her tablet as Leland finally got around to introducing his youngest.

"And this little beauty is Leiah," He bounced the little girl a few times to make her giggle.

Eden reached out a hand and ran it over the baby's head. "Hello, ladybug," She gently cooed.

"I'd let you hold her but she's wet," Leland explained, waving the diaper.

Eden smirked before reaching out and taking Leiah and the diaper from him.

Laying the little girl on the couch next to Cobie, Eden had her diaper changed and the child cuddled back in her arms in no time flat.

She laughed at the stunned look on Leland's face.

"I volunteer at the church nursery on Sunday mornings," She admitted.

He nodded and she looked down to study the little girl in her arms. Leiah was the spitting image of her daddy.

She laid a kiss on the baby's forehead. "She's beautiful,"

"So is the woman holding her,"

She looked up to see Leland watching her with a warm smile on his face.


	14. Chapter 14

Eden spent the next hour just hanging out with Leland and the kids.

She was happy to find that she enjoyed their company and the kids seemed to genuinely like her.

Cobie chit-chatted about all things Batman as he worked her tablet better then she could.

Dakota wasn't as chatty as his little brother. He was intensely focused on his task. He only joined the conversation when he really had something to say. Eden thought he was like his father in that way and found it rather endearing. Right down to his looks, Dakota was a miniature version of Leland.

Leiah was the cutest thing she had ever seen and was another carbon copy of her father. She was a quiet, observant baby who was content to lay in her arms and watch the world go by.

After a quick lunch of grilled cheese sandwiches – the only thing besides scrambled eggs that she knew how to make – Eden made her way back to her bedroom to get ready for Prince Harry's welcoming ceremony.

Leland put Leiah down for a nap and settled the boys in front of a Star Wars movie before following her.

She was standing in her walk-in closet debating what to wear and didn't notice him until he pressed his front up against her back. He reached a hand over her shoulder and plucked a deep purple wraparound dress off of a hanger and handed it to her.

"Wear this," He wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the back of her neck.

Clutching the dress in one hand, she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Why?"

"Because," He leaned forward to chastely kiss her lips. "I think with your eyes purple will make you look like a princess out of a Tim Burton fairy tale...and the cut of the dress would look sexy as hell on you."

In the stories, she wrote Leland was never like the real thing. Fictional Leland was always a chivalrous family man with a tough exterior and a heart of gold. The real Leland was all of those things but there was another side to him that she had never considered. Leland was incredibly domineering. He was possessive, referring to her as his. Now, he was picking out her clothes.

Eden had never considered herself the kind of woman to be attracted to a dominant partner. If you had asked her before meeting Leland if she would go for a man like him, she would have said no. She would have said that a man like Leland would make her feel too much like a possession...but that was far from the reality she was living. In reality, she felt safe and cherished.

"I'll wear it," She kissed him quickly and stepped out of his arms. "I'll be the Sally to your Jack," She giggled as she walked to her dresser and pulled out a purple, strapless bra and panties set.

Leland laid back on the bed and folded his arms behind his head.

"You're not going to give me some privacy to change?" She asked when she noticed him watching her intently.

"Nope," He smirked. "You're going to have to get used to me seeing you naked baby...I plan on keeping you that way as often as possible."

Her heart rate sped up and she blushed but she still pulled her t-shirt over her head and kicked out of her jeans. She faced him the entire time and the smoldering look in Leland's eyes told her that she probably wasn't going to be holding onto her virginity for very much longer.

When she finally turned her back on him, she heard his breath catch.

She went to put on her bra but she heard him get out of bed.

"Wait," He ordered firmly.

She halted her movements and felt him brush his fingertips along the skin of her shoulders.

"You have ink," He kissed the back of her neck and traced the words inked into the skin of her back, stretching from shoulder to shoulder and bordered by black roses. "I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I'm out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best." He read the quote made famous by Marilyn Monroe. "Fits you perfectly, baby. Do you know what I think?" His hand came around to rub her stomach gently.

"What do you think?" She hadn't expected him to react to her tattoo this way. She hadn't really thought about it at all. Once you had a tattoo long enough it became a part of you and you tended to forget it was there. It was like your feet. You knew they were there but you didn't think about them.

"I think you're a free spirit like me. I think that's why you chose to write about me." He rained kisses down the side of her neck. "You like body art and piercings...the same as me." He lightly flicked the emerald charm that hung from her belly button. "The question I have is...why don't you have any more?"

As both of his hands came up to massage her breasts she leaned back against him and let him support her weight.

"Once you meet my mom, you will understand." She said bitterly. "I have a notebook full of designs I want...and I used to have a stud in my nose but my mom made me take it out during my dad's campaign."

"You need to start being yourself, baby," He nibbled on her ear. "No matter what I think you're fine as hell," He ground his hips against her backside to illustrate his point and Eden found herself wondering if they were all supposed to feel that big. "But my woman deserves to be herself...not her mother's puppet."

She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat before turning her head to kiss him. "I love you, Leland,"

"I love you too, Eden," He kissed her once more before pulling away from her and slapping her ass. "Now, get dressed woman. You're going to be late."


	15. Chapter 15

Eden knew the battle line had been drawn between her and her mother the moment she stepped foot in the East Room of the White House with Leland and the boys.

She watched as her mother's eyes narrowed at Leland's long hair. She watched as her mother frowned at Dakota and Cobie...that pissed her off more than anything.

Her father was his usual plastic, friendly self but her mother had been chillier than an iceberg when she made introductions.

With Leland's encouragement, she had chosen, for once, to ignore her arctic mother and enjoy herself.

Hermione had introduced them to Prince Harry, who on top of being a rather likable guy was also very clearly smitten with her little sister, Eden was tickled to discover. Leland had surprised her by dancing with a few times and they had both watched in amusement with Hermione and Harry as Dakota jokingly led Cobie in a dramatic tango.

The night only soured as the party came to an end and she was summoned by her mother's private secretary to the family quarters of the White House.

Knowing that she was about to get royally bitched out, she sent Leland and the boys back to her place without her.

"What the hell is in your nose, Eden Marie?" Were the first words out of her mother's mouth when she arrived in the living room of the family quarters.

She knew her mother was referring to the lavender amethyst stud in her nose. While she had been dressing Leland had found it in her jewellery box. Telling her that the stud would look sexy paired with her deep purple velvet ballgown had been all it took to convince her to wear it.

There was something about being herself and openly defying her controlling mother that felt very freeing. Eden was really starting to like the woman she was when she was with Leland.

"A nose ring," She crossed her arms over her chest.

Rosemary James rolled her eyes before taking a sip out of her glass of wine, "It's that man's influence," She spat out, slurring her words a bit. "I want you to stop seeing him...and on the note of unacceptable partners...what is going on with your sister and that prince?" She said the word prince like it was a dirty word that shouldn't be said in polite society.

Eden was pretty sure her sister was falling hard for the Protestant prince but she wasn't about to tell her mom that when she knew she had been drinking. Besides, she was too pissed at her mother for thinking she could control her life. She was a grown woman and there was no way in hell that she was about to give up the best thing that had ever happened to her – Leland and his insane, adorable, completely accepting children – just because her mommy said so.

"Mother, whatever is between Hermione and Harry is their business, not yours," She spoke calmly but forcefully. "As for me...the nose ring stays. Leland and the kids stay and I am done being your fucking puppet." She turned on her heel and left her stunned mother in her wake.

As she was storming out, she was greatly entertained and even more shocked to find Hermione and Harry lip locked in the Rose Garden. Hermione informed her that the two fo them were now dating right before going off the confront their mother with the unwanted information. Eden was reminded once again why she adored the younger woman. Her mother was going to need a few more bottles of wine before the night was over.

When she finally arrived home it was after eleven and the kids were all in bed. Leland was waiting up for her in the living room. It was a welcome sight after dealing with her mother.

Leland seemed to sense that she was upset and held open his arms to her.

Eden dropped her keys and clutch purse on the table next to the front door before falling into his arms and the comfort they offered.

"What happened, baby?" He asked as he tightened his arms around her.

"I told my mother that I wasn't giving you and the kids up," She cuddled into his chest. "I pretty much told her off and now she's going to be impossible to live with."

Oh, her mother was going to make her life hell...that much she knew. She would pay for her display of disrespect.

"So...come home with me," Leland kissed her temple.

Eden simply laughed. If only it were that simple.

"What are you laughing at?" He actually sounded hurt and Eden realized that he was serious.

He wanted her to move to Hawaii with him...and she wanted to go. She was literally living every fanfiction writer's wet dream.

"I can't," She said.

"Why not?" He challenged.

Yeah, why not? She hated her job, had an almost non-existent relationship with her father, and couldn't stand her mother ninety percent of the time. Sure, there was Hermione but her little sister seemed well on her way to her own happily ever after and would surely understand. She'd probably cheer her on.

"I don't know," She admitted.

Leland sat up, taking her with him until she was straddling his lap on the couch.

He reached up and lightly cupped her cheek, "So, come home with me and the kids." It almost sounded like he was gently challenging her. "You can finally be yourself...I'll even introduce you to my tattoo guy. We can be a family...the kids fucking adore you, sweetheart – you and your sister. Come home and let your man take care of you." He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose.

Tears started to fall from her eyes.

"But we haven't even made love yet," She protested half-heartedly.

He pulled her in for a deep kiss.

When he pulled away, he smirked, "Agree, baby, and we will go to your room right now and correct that," There was a sexy gleam in his eye.

Eden threw caution to the wind. "Okay," She agreed.


	16. Chapter 16

Published 837 Words Publish Changes Cancel 

Chapter Sixteen  
The next morning, Eden awoke before the dawn to the sounds of a baby's cries. Looking beside her and seeing Leland still asleep she pushed herself out of bed.

Walking to the travel crib set up under the window, she picked up an unhappy Leiah.

The little calmed the moment she was in her arms and Eden was silently thankful that she and Leland had put their night clothes on after their loving (rather incredible) lovemaking. It made getting to the baby to quiet her much quicker.

"That's a good girl...don't wake up Daddy," She cooed and rubbed her back. She had a feeling that her boyfriend didn't get much rest. Between three kids and his job, it had to be damned near impossible.

She quietly tip-toed out of the room with a sniffling Leiah in her arms. She went to the kitchen and heated a bottle before making her way back to her bedroom. She left the door cracked to listen for the boys.

Feeling through the baby's pink onesie that Leiah was wet, she set the bottle on her nightstand and grabbed a diaper out of the bag on her dresser. Gently laying Leiah on her side of the bed (she couldn't believe she had one of those now!) she changed her, careful not to wake Leland.

When the chore was completed, she picked the girl up and got back into bed; Leiah lying on her chest, sucking on her bottle. How could anyone be stupid enough to give this baby up? Leland's ex was a fool. Oh, well, her loss was Eden's gain.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the creaking of the wooden bedroom door as it was slowly pushed open and little Cobie came running to her side.

"What's wrong, kiddo?" She whispered. The little boy looked petrified.

"I had a bad dream. The Joker was chasing me through my school...and it wasn't the funny Joker from the cartoons. It was the creepy Joker from the movie. The one that made clapping scary." The little boy quietly rambled.

Eden had to keep herself from laughing at Cobie's description of Heath Ledger's Joker.

"Why don't you climb up here and try and get some more sleep?" She softly suggested when she looked at the clock on her nightstand and saw that it was still only 3:30 in the morning. "Just be careful not to wake up your daddy." She cautioned as Cobie climbed in the bed and settled himself between her and his father.

Cobie had just drifted off back to sleep and Leiah was still happily sucking on her bottle when she heard her boyfriend's voice in the darkness of the bedroom.

"You're a natural mommy," There was not a hint of sleep in his voice.

"How long have you been awake?" She asked suspiciously; being sure to keep her voice low to avoid waking the child asleep in the middle of the bed.

"Since you were telling Leiah not to wake me up," He admitted with a chuckle. "And we really need to cut back on the amount of Batman Cobie watches and reads if he's dreaming about Heath Ledger. I'm a grown man and that would creep me the hell out."

Eden giggled quietly and a warm feeling spread through her chest and stomach when he said we in regards to parenting Cobie.

"Why didn't you say anything sooner?" She wasn't mad, just curious.

She actually found herself greatly enjoying taking care of his children. She had paradoxically found herself considering cooking classes. She hadn't even known that there was an ounce of a domestic side in her prior to meeting Dakota, Cobie, and Leiah, let alone that she would enjoy it so much.

"You seemed to have everything under control and I enjoy watching my woman bond with our kids,"

Hold the phone...had he said "our kids"?

"You've come a long way from the girl who was scared she would mess up our kids by being awkward and standoffish," He continued.

While Eden agreed that she had come a long way, Leland had used the phrase, "our kids".

"Did you say our kids?" She was really trying to keep her voice down but she knew that it was more than a little shaky.

"In my line of work you learn to read people," He explained. "And I think I've gotten to know you pretty well. You love the kids, in a different way, but as much as you love me. You're coming home with us. You're happy and you're in this for life. Just like me. That means you are their mom now and I wouldn't want to give the job to anyone else." He reached over Cobie and stroked her arm with a gentle hand. "And I'm sure if you give me just a little more time I can convince you to become Mrs. Chapman."

Eden didn't respond. She simply laid a kiss on top of Leiah's head as she let the tears of happiness slowly start to fall.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are going to go back to Leland's POV for this chapter.
> 
> Yes, Monopoly games can get as fierce as depicted in this chapter. Just ask my daughter why she isn't allowed to play anymore. *HINT...for the same reason Dakota gets in trouble.*

Later that morning, after everyone was awake, dressed, and fed, Hermione arrived home to find them all engaged in a rather fierce game of Monopoly...and by fierce, Leland meant that his girlfriend's sister walked in just as his oldest child flipped the board in frustration because his brother wouldn't sell him Park Place.

“Dakota! Go sit in the kitchen until you can control yourself.” Leland snapped.

The boy stood from his spot on the floor surrounded by scattered game pieces and fake money and quickly stomped from the room.

“Hasn't anymore ever told you two that Monopoly ruins relationships?” Hermione put her hand on her hip and smirked at them. “Eden, you should have known better at the very least. Do you not remember the last time we played?”

Leland watched as Eden's face reddened and she rolled her eyes. “I was thirteen the last time we played and I wasn't the one who flipped the board this time.” She grumbled.

Leland stood from the ground and reached down and took Leiah from Eden's arms before giving her a hand up.

“Eden, can I go look through your comic books?” As he too got to his feet.

“Sure,” His (geeky) girl nodded. “Just don't forget to put them back in their protective covers...and you can only read the ones in green covers. The ones in the clear covers are collectibles.”

It was hard to believe that a woman who looked like Eden was a comic book nerd but Leland found it adorable...and Cobie adored her for it.

Hermione walked over to him and held out her arms who was more than willing to go to her. The James sisters really had a way with his kids.

“What are you doing home?” Eden asked as she flopped to down on the couch and pulled him by the hand to sit with her. He fucking loved how comfortable his girl now was with him. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she continued speaking. “Why aren't you off spending time with Prince Charming?”

Hermione sighed a little sadly, “He's off with Dad on a tour of military sites until this evening...and I wasn't about to hang out with Mother all day.”

Leland had noticed that both women referred to their father with the familiar, Dad, but with their mom, it was always the stiff and formal, Mother. He wondered how in the hell Eden and Hermione grew up to be so good with kids when their mother was an ice queen. Score one for nature over nurture, he guessed.

“So, how was breakfast with the parental unit?” Eden asked as she laid her head on his shoulder.

“Mother pretty much ignored Harry the entire time...at one point I caught Dad kicking her under the table to get her to be polite.” Hermione took a seat in the recliner with Leiah. She took his daughter's hands and started making silly faces at her. “Speaking of Harry – Would you mind if he stayed with us until Monday?”

“Nope,” Eden said without a second thought. “He seems pretty nice...and you didn't have a problem with Leland and the kids staying.”

“Actually, I'm pretty sure she was the one who invited me...behind your back.” He smirked.

Eden sat up a little and looked at him in shock. “You knew about that?”

“I might only have a high school education but I'm not an idiot, baby,” He laughed at her.

“Just for the record, it wasn't behind her back,” Hermione chipped in. “I did it right in front of her...I just lied to get her phone.”

He laughed again. He really loved Eden's little sister and he could see why his girl was so attached to her. He briefly wondered how the sisters were going to handle living apart.

“I don't think you're an idiot, Leland,” Eden looked a little sheepish.

He dropped a chaste kiss on her lips. “I know, sweetheart,” He assured her. “I was just playin'”

“Since I'm free the rest of the day, why don't you two go out and do something alone?” Hermione suggested. “I got the rugrats.”

Leland looked down at his girl. “You wanna go grab lunch and take a drive?” He really wanted some alone time with her. There was something that they needed to discuss.

“I'd love to,” She smiled.

He got to his feet and helped her up.

It was as they were walking out the door that Eden made his year.

“Hermione,” She got her sister's attention. “Stay out of the kitchen unless the kids are thirsty or Leiah needs a bottle. No cooking. When they are ready for lunch, order out. Don't poison our kids.”

He didn't even think she realized that she had referred to the kids as theirs – but the small, affectionate smile on Hermione's face proved that she had. Even Dakota noticed because he gave Eden an extra goodbye hug.

When they got out to her SUV, before he opened the passenger side door for her, he pressed her back against it and stole her lips in a hungry kiss.

She was panting when he pulled away and brought her hand up to caress his cheek.

“What was that for?” She asked. “Not that I'm complaining or anything...”She giggled.

“For loving my kids,” He kissed the tip of her nose. “For loving me” He kissed her cheek. “For putting aside your anxiety and being willing to create a life with me.” He laid a soft kiss on her lips.

She had tears in her eyes when he pulled away this time and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I love you, Leland...and the only reason I'm not scared is you.” She leaned up to kiss him this time.

Their moment was interrupted by Hermione calling to them from the front porch. “Could you two go and do that where your kids can't see you and you're not scaring my niece and nephews for life.”


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope ya'll enjoy this story and Blame it on Seven while they last. These will be my last two Leland stories. Now that he's married...I just can't do it. Sorry to those who like these stories. If it helps to make up for it, I've started writing Dakota fics for my little sister and a very awesome reader and Dakota fan that goes by @emmaswan4real. The first story, Winter Snow is up.
> 
> We are switching back to Leland's POV for this chapter.
> 
> ***WARNING*** If you are offended by sub/Dom relationships it is time to hit the BACK button. If you are easily offended by a woman surrendering control of herself over to a man, this story is NOT your cup of tea. To fans of 50 Shades of Grey...I've never read more than two pages (before taking it away from niece) and this story is NOTHING like that (and I use this term very loosely) book.

Eden and Leland had stopped for lunch at the American City Diner before getting back in her Range Rover and starting their drive. Leland wanted somewhere quiet to talk so she had pointed him in the direction of Great Falls Park in nearby Great Falls, Virginia.

When they arrived, Leland parked and the two of them walked towards the park's famous waterfalls, finding a dry place to sit along the banks.

Leland was nervous about what he had to tell her about himself as she sat between his legs and leaned back against his chest.

“What did you want to talk to me about?” She turned her head and lightly kissed his neck.

Leland had to remind himself to focus because he was tempted to drag her back to the SUV like a caveman so he could do wicked things to her delectable body. Now that he had had a taste of her, he didn't think that he could ever get enough of her.

“There's a part of my personality that we need to talk about...” He began.

“You mean the dominate side?” She interrupted.

So she had noticed.

“Yeah...does it bother you?” He had to know. It would be hard to change who he was but he would be willing to try for her.

“Nope,” She made a popping sound with her p. “I actually like it. It might seem like you're controlling – at least to an outsider – but the reality of it is that you're just protective and possessive...but in a good way. As weird as it sounds, I'm a lot freer of a person with you in the picture. I'm more myself now.”

Fucking Christ, his girl really was perfect.

“So, you really don't mind being in this kind of relationship?” He phrased his words carefully so as not to scare her with the actual label for a relationship like theirs.

“You can say sub/Dom, Leland. I know what we are.” She took him by surprise by saying. “And no, I don't have a problem with this kind of relationship. I know most people wouldn't understand it, but I do. By giving you control over all the little things, and by trusting you completely with my heart and body, I have gained the ability to control the big things in my life. If it weren't for you pretty much ordering me to be myself, I never would have had the courage to stop being my mother's puppet.”

Thank God, his girl knew exactly how sub/Dom relationships (at least the emotional kind) worked. She knew that they weren't all about sex, even though he would never deny that he enjoyed having control in the bedroom...and his baby willingly surrendered to him. He suddenly knew where he wanted to go when they left the park and before they headed back to the house.

“I want to permanently mark you as mine,” He nuzzled her neck. “I want you to get my name tattooed somewhere on your fine ass body...today.” It was a gentle order. He wanted to see how much control she was really willing to let him have over her.

She turned her head to look at him. “Will you get mine too?” She asked in a meek little whisper.

On his fucking forehead if she wanted him to. “Of course, baby,” He dropped a kiss onto her lips.

“Okay,” She smiled and kissed him. “Let's go. I know just the place.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm like Eden...getting a tattoo is relaxing to me. When I got the one in memory of my mom on my back...I actually fell asleep and had to be woken up when it was done. lol

Eden silently wondered if something was wrong with her.

She lay on a red leather chair in a private booth as the female tattoo artist inked a small anchor containing Leland's name into her skin just below her left breast. She didn't know why but they gentle sting of a tattoo needle could relax her like nothing else could.

“Alright, you are all done, chick,” The tattoo artist – Eden was pretty sure her name was Savannah – pushed her stool backward and got to her feet.

Eden didn't move to get out of the chair. Her tattoo hadn't taken nearly as long as she thought it would. She knew that on top of getting her name, Leland was also getting the tattoos of Dakota and Cobie's names touched up. She still had some time to kill and she had an idea for another tattoo.

Later that evening, after they were back at the house with Hermione and the kids, Eden pulled her kid sister aside to talk.

“What's up?” Hermione asked as she sat at the kitchen table pulling on her favorite pair of black high-top sneakers.

“I have something that I need to tell you...” She busied herself making a pot of coffee...she had noticed that Leland practically lived off the stuff.

“Oh!” Hermione perked up. “Does this mean that you're going to tell me what you got tattooed on your wrist?” She wasn't surprised that her sister had noticed that bandage.

Eden hit the brew button on the coffee pot and turned around to face her. “No,” She shook her head. “Leland gets to know what it is first,” She said firmly. When she had stepped out of the booth at the tattoo shop, Leland had been pleasantly surprised to see her bandaged wrist. They had agreed to wait to reveal their new tattoos until they were alone later that night. “I wanted to talk about me moving to Hawaii to live with Leland and the kids.”

Hermione's face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Sissy! That's wonderful! I am so happy for you!” There was nothing false in her tone. Her sister really was happy for her. “Leland treats you right and those kids are the sweetest! Dakota did nothing but talk about you while you were gone and Cobie spent the entire afternoon asking me when you would be back.”

This warmed Eden's heart. She really adored the kids and felt blessed beyond measure that Leland was allowing her to be their mom.

“So, you're not mad? This is going to happen pretty quick.” She asked with a smile.

“Hell no!” Hermione laughed. “You deserve this...but if you will excuse me,” She got to her feet. “I need to make sure that I'm on time to meet my Prince Charming at the White House. I don't want to leave Harry alone with Mother and Dad too long...he's likely to bolt.”

That night, Eden went about getting ready for bed as Leland tucked the boys in for the night in the guest room. Little Leiah was already asleep in her travel crib under the window.

She was nervous of what Leland was going to think about her new tattoos as she reached for the birth control pills that she kept sitting on top of her jewelry box.

“Stop.” Leland's firm voice halted her movements.

She hadn't even heard him enter the bedroom but before she knew it, he was standing at her side.

“Stop what, babe?” She asked in confusion.

What was there for her to stop doing? She wasn't doing anything.

“You're not allowed to take those anymore.” He nodded at the round container that held her pills.

“These are my birth control pills, Leland,” She explained as if he didn't already know. “If I don't take them, I'll get pregnant.”

“I know,” He pulled her into his arms. “You're still not allowed to take them anymore. I don't want anything standing in the way of nature. If God wants us to have another baby...we'll have another baby.” He said this like it was no big deal. “Now, are you ready to show Daddy your new ink?”

She was shocked speechless. Leland didn't care if he knocked her up. It actually sounded like that was exactly what he was aiming for...to get her pregnant. And was it wrong that it greatly turned her on when he called himself “Daddy”?


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***WARNING: If you are offended in any way by Daddy-play, turn back now. There is nothing too extreme, I just thought I would warn everyone in advance.***

Leland took the blue, fleece blanket with the image of a wolf’s head on it that she kept at the foot of her bed and draped it over the side of Leiah’s crib to block the baby’s view should she awaken for any reason, before moving to lay on the bed with his arms folded behind his head.

“My name first,” He softly ordered.

With hesitation, Eden pulled her purple lace nightgown over her head. Once she was down to nothing but her black panties, she crawled to join him on the bed. She sat beside him on her knees and carefully peeled away the bandage under her left breast to reveal Leland’s name encased inside of a ship’s anchor. The anchor’s chain curved to form a small heart.

Leland sat up and ran his hand along the edge of her tattoo, careful not touch the sensitive skin of the new ink. “Why an anchor, baby?”

“Because, even before I met you, you were the one thing that I could always count on the make me happy.” She knew the truth sounded pathetic but it was the truth. “Since we’ve been together - even though it hasn’t been long - you’ve helped me to be myself. You ground me like no one else...not even Hermione. So...you are my anchor.”

He sat up a little and leaned over and placed a tender kiss on her bare chest, right above her heart before moving up to kiss her mouth. “I’ll always be your anchor, sweetheart.” He promised against her lips. “Wanna see the tat that Daddy got for you?”

She shivered when he once again called himself “Daddy” and nodded.

He sat up the rest of the way and pulled the large, square bandage covering a good portion of the left side of his chest off.

She was amazed that his tattoo was almost twice the size of hers. On his chest, he had gotten an apple tree surrounded by a small garden. Standing beside the tree was a woman with black hair and green eyes, wearing nothing but fig leaves. Above the woman’s head - in an Old English-style font- were the words, My Eden.

Careful of the new tattoo (his and hers), she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him. “I love it, Daddy.” She kissed his neck.

The possessive side of her couldn’t help but think and be glad that now every time he took his shirt off on an episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter, every female fan would see her name on his chest and know that he belonged to her.

He pushed her away gently. “Can I see your other tattoo now, baby girl?” He nodded at her still bandaged wrist.

This was the tattoo that she was the most concerned about. She knew that Leland wanted her to be the kids' mother but she was still worried that she might have crossed some invisible line with her new body art.

Nervously, she unwrapped her bandage and flipped her arm so he could see the words not a permanent part of her.

TEAGHLACH

L&E

DAKOTA

COBIE

LEIAH

“Teague-lock...am I pronouncing that right?”

“No,” She chuckled. “It’s pronounced ‘chai-lach’”

“What does it mean?” He was smiling as he asked.

“It’s Irish...for family.” She replied quietly as she blushed and refused to met his gaze.

“Hey...” He reached up and cupped her cheek. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about...I love it.” He stroked his thumb along her bottom lip. “We are a family, sweetheart...and you know what?”

“What?”

She suddenly found herself on her back with Leland hovering over her.

“It’s a good thing you left room for more names because Daddy wants to make you a mommy again.” He told her as his lips came crashing down on hers.


	21. Chapter 21

The rest of the weekend was pretty awesome.

To both Eden and Leland’s surprise, Prince Harry easily fit in with the small family that they, the kids, and Hermione made up. The world press was under the false assumption that the prince was staying at the White House so it was pretty easy to travel around D.C. without press intrusion.

They had spent a rather enjoyable day the Smithsonian, touring the museums like any other tourists. While outside the Air and Space Museum, Cobie had begged Harry to knight him - even though knighting was only something the Queen could do, Cobie was American and, ya know, five. Harry had been a good sport and played along. He used a twig that Dakota had found to knight the little boy, Sir Cobie Chapman.

It wasn’t until Monday night that things started to go wrong.

Eden and Leland were cuddled up on the couch, watching re-runs of Supernatural. The kids had been in bed for a few hours. It was Harry’s last night in the country, so he and Hermione had locked themselves in the younger woman’s bedroom for the night.

Eden had just begun to drift off in her boyfriend’s arms when her cell phone began to ring.

“Who the hell is calling this late at night?” Leland grumbled as Eden lazily grabbed her cell phone off of the coffee table.

The caller I.D. informed her that her mother was calling. It was after ten...this could in no way be good.

“Yes, Mother?” She sat up and answered.

“I warned you that man was no good Eden James!” Her mother sounded livid.

“What are you talking about?” She ran a hand through her hair. “What could Leland have possibly done?”

At hearing his name, Leland sat up and moved closer he could listen in on the conversation.

“His white trash parents are talking to the press.” Her mother hissed. “They’re telling people that our families are close...as if we would ever socialize with the likes of them.” Her mother sounded both disgusted and drunk. “His loud mouth stepmother even insinuated that your father vetoed a piece of anti-bail enforcement legislature because Dog Chapman told him to.”

Seeing as her mother was damn near screaming, Leland heard every word. Eden watched as he opened and closed his fists in anger.

From Leland’s reaction to everything that he had just heard to everything that he had shared with her about the woman, Eden had zero doubt that Beth Chapman had done and said everything her mother was accusing her of.

“Mother, Leland had nothing to with that but we’ll take care of it.” She said just to get mother off of the phone.

“You better! If your father loses this election, it’ll be on you, Eden!” The miserable woman who birthed her slurred.

Eden just rolled her eyes and ended the call before tossing her phone onto the coffee table.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart.” Leland ran a hand over his face in frustration. “I’m sorry that Beth is such a fame-hungry bitch. I’m sorry that my dad is too much of a spineless coward to stop her bullshit. I’m sorry that my family is so fucked up.”

Eden suddenly understood why Leland liked to be the dominate partner in relationships; why he was so devoted to his children. He didn’t want to become like his father. He didn’t want to end up with a controlling, soul-sucking woman like Beth. He wanted a woman who would love and accept his kids as her own - not use them like pawns on the chessboard of life.

“No.” She said firmly as she moved to straddle his lap.

“No, what?” His hands automatically went to her hips.

“Your family isn’t fucked up, Daddy.” She shook her head. It was strange how natural it felt to call him that when they were alone. “Dog and Beth aren’t your family...just like the drunk bitch who just called me isn’t my family. Me and the kids, my sister, your siblings...we’re your family. We all might be a little weird, and somewhat crazy, but we’re not fucked up.”

Eden watched as the anger drained away from Leland’s face only to be replaced with a blinding smile.

“You are so right, momma,” He reached up and caressed her cheek. “You and the kids are all I’ll ever need...but we’re still going to have to do something to shut Beth up.”

“And I still have to tell the Wicked Witch of Washington that I’m moving to Hawaii to live in sin...and I need to let work know...and start packing.” Eden found herself getting anxious just thinking of all that had to be done before they could start their lives together.

“Just breathe, momma,” Leland kissed her cheek lightly.

“We have so much crap to take care of...” She pointed out. “And not a lot of time to do it.”

“We’ll take care of it, sweetheart...togather.” He soothed her. “But for now, Daddy wants to help his baby girl relax...”

“How?” She asked innocently, even though she knew his response would be anything but innocent.

He leaned forward and whispered in her ear, “By fucking you so good, you can’t remember anything but my name.” He nipped at her earlobe.

“Yes, please.” She barely managed to squeak out as Leland got to his feet, with her still in his arms and headed for her bedroom.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back to Leland's POV for this chapter. I thought that it had been awhile.
> 
> I finally got my personal website up and running. On it, you can find all of my stories, plus things you can't find on here. I have a Coming Soon section - where you can learn about my upcoming stories before they are posted and subscribe to them. I've also included music tracks for all of my stories. I use music for inspiration so, I thought it would be cool to share the songs that inspired each story. Hope you all stop by for a visit. Mobile friendly! Link is at the bottom of the chapter.

While Leland had kept his promise to make his girl forget everything but his name...the results were only temporary and over the next few days, her stress level had increased ten fold.

On Monday, Eden had spent most of the day tending to her younger sister. Harry had departed to return to his job in the British Army that morning and Hermione had been in tears the entire rest of the day.

While Eden tended to her sister, Leland had minded the kids and started looking up the interviews that Beth had been giving since he had been in D.C. There were already five of them...he hadn't even been gone five days yet!

_*** BETH CHAPMAN! MARRIAGE IS IN THE CARDS FOR LELAND AND EDEN!_

_A source close to Beth Chapman reports that Leland Chapman, son of Beth's husband, the famed Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman, and Eden James, the oldest daughter of President James, are on the road to the altar. The couple is reported to have connected online months ago. ***_

How the hell did Beth even know that they had met online? Lyssa was probably gossiping again. The time frame his idiot stepmother had obviously made up in her head.

He clicked on the next article.

_*** PRESIDENT JAMES FRIENDS WITH...DOG CHAPMAN?! THE FRIENDSHIP AMERICA DIDN'T SEE COMING! ***_

This article detailed his father's (non-existent) friendship with the President. He shook his head and read through the rest of the articles. They were all along the same lines as the first two.

In frustration, he had placed a call to Duane Lee to see if he knew just what the fuck their stepmother thought she was doing. His older brother had informed him that, according to Beth, she wasn't the one talking to the press...someone else had to be leaking the false information. Leland and Duane Lee both knew this was a lie but neither one could prove it.

Unable to correct the situation with Beth, on Tuesday, Leland had gone with Eden as she went to face the couple's other maternal problem...Mrs. James.

To say the meeting – that took place in Eden's mother's White House office – could have gone better would have been the understatement of the millennium.

Mrs. James had railed against him...accusing him of destroying Eden and her future. Then she had tried to guilt her daughter using her Catholic upbringing. She reminded Eden that is she married a non-Catholic, she would no longer be allowed to partake in the Holy Eucharist. When Eden had simply laughed in her mother's face, Mrs. James finally seemed to snap. She told Eden that if she moved to Hawaii, she was cut off from her trust fund.

This had been when Leland had stepped in. He had been silent up until that moment but now he couldn't hold his tongue any longer. The miserable old bitch was trying to use money to control his girl's life. He was going to let her know that it wasn't going to work.

“Mrs. James,” He crossed his arms over his chest as he broke into her tirade. “Eden doesn't need your money.” He smirked. “You might think I'm white trash...but I'm white trash with money. I own half of my father's business, my TV gig pays real well, and I'm the fucking best at what I do. I can more than afford to keep my girl comfortable.”

Mrs. James ignored him and again rounded on her daughter, “Are you really going to take that risk, Eden?” The First Lady challenged. “You won't be able to come running home. Do you really trust this hoodlum not to leave you for the first bimbo who comes along?”

His girl was looking at him with a small, loving smile on her face when she answered her mother's question, “Absolutely.”

 

 

**[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolf1988.wixsite.com/badwolf1988) **


	23. Chapter 23

After the disaster of a meeting with the woman Eden had accurately nicknamed, The Wicked Witch of Washington, Leland knew that his girl would need a little time to collect herself before heading back to the house. He called Hermione and asked her to look after the kids for a few more hours and headed towards _Great Falls Park_ once again.

He parked in the same area as before and the two of them got out and went to take a seat at what he was coming to think of as their spot.

“I fucking hate that bitch!” Eden huffed as she sat down in his arms.

Leland was aware of this as she had said it about ten times already in the car. “Your mom and my stepmom should get together and go bowling.” He leaned down and playfully nipped at her neck.

The 80's pop culture reference had the desired effect of making her laugh. “ _The Breakfast Club_...nice.” She said approvingly.

“You know you don't have to worry about anything without your trust fund, right, baby girl?” He knew what she had told the Wicked Witch of Washington but he still felt compelled to ask. He needed to hear her say it outside of the heat of the moment. He needed to know that she one hundred percent trusted him to take care of her. “I'm gonna take care of you.”

“Trust me, Leland, if I didn't know that, I wouldn't have done what I did.” She assured confidently as she turned her head and kissed his neck.

“Just checkin'.” He kissed her temple and wrapped his arms around her, taking a deep breath of the fresh rain kissed air. Unlike their last visit to the falls when it had been sunny and warm, the day was overcast and there was a slight nip in the air that he wasn't used to living in Hawaii. “So, I have a few things that I want to talk to you about while the kids aren't around...” He continued.

“I'm all ears, Daddy.” She leaned her head back against his chest and closed her eyes.

“What would you think about me selling my half of Da Kine to my dad and Beth and opening up my own office with Duane Lee, Wesley, and Lyssa?” He threw out what he had been texting his siblings about for the last few days.

Eden opened her eyes and turned in his arms so could look at him. “If that's what you want to do, I support you. Beth makes you all miserable and it doesn't sound like your dad is man enough to do anything to stop her. I just want you to be happy, Daddy.”

God, he loved her. He dropped a kiss to her lips before continuing, “I want to teach you the bail bonds business and I want your help building the company. I want us to build something that we can be proud of. No TV cameras. No storylines. No gimmicks. Just an honest, family owned business that we can leave to the kids one day.”

Eden had tears in her eyes when she told him, “I'd love that, Leland.” She leaned up and kissed his cheek softly.

With a smirk, Leland turned her in his arms so that she was now straddling his lap, with each knee on the ground on either side of him. “What about when Daddy asks you to marry him? Are you gonna love that?” He teased, placing his hands on her hips.

“I don't know, Daddy.” She bit her lip thoughtfully. “I guess you're just going to have to ask me and find out.” She surprised him by teasing back.

His girl was coming out of her shell more and more every day – at least with him – and not only was he immensely proud of her but he fucking loved her new found playful side. 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolf1988.wixsite.com/badwolf1988) _ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To help the young ones who don't understand The Breakfast Club reference that Leland makes in this chapter, it is drawn from the following quote:
> 
> “Your old man and my old man should get together and go bowling.”
> 
> -John Bender, The Breakfast Club, 1985


	24. Chapter 24

Back at the house, Eden had attempted to explain what had happened with their mother to her younger sister but Hermione had held a hand up to stop her. “Don't bother, the witch already called me.” She informed her. “Between the slurring and insults on Leland's parentage, I worked out the truth.” She chuckled.

Leland was out back with the boys grilling steak. Leiah was bouncing in her walker while Eden and Hermione chatted in the living room.

“Leland sprung something on me while we were out.” Eden chewed on her thumbnail.

“What?”

“He wants to leave his dad's show and break with Da Kine altogether. He wants to open his own company with his brothers and sister...and me.” She watched her sister's face to try and gauge her reaction.

Hermione smirked and shook her head. “You know, Mother really named us in the wrong order. You really should have been named Hermione. You are such an overachiever that you have to be the only woman on the planet that made her celebrity crush fall in love with her. You also used to be way too obsessed with grades in school. Remember that time you got a B in chemistry and cried?”

Eden simply glared at her and shot back, “Yes, but if you weren't named Hermione the press wouldn't be having so much fun with the _Harry Potter_ nicknames for you and Prince Charming.” She taunted. In the last two days, between the internet and good old fashioned print news, Eden had seen Harry and Hermione referred to as _Gryffindor's Golden Couple_ , _The Chosen Two_ , and her personal favorite... _The Lovers that Lived._

Hermione went on as if she hadn't heard a word, “What I'm trying to say is that you are awesome at everything you set your mind to. I know you, Eden. You weren't just a fan of _Dog the Bounty Hunter_ because you were in love with Leland. You were a fan because that lifestyle, that job appealed to you. I think you would do great at it so long as you weren't on camera. Leland's offering you exactly what you've always secretly wanted and he's giving it to you in a way that you can comfortable with. Don't be anxious. Everything will be fine.”

How did Hermione always know exactly what to say to make her feel better? Getting to her feet, she picked Leiah up out of her walker to check her diaper. “Have you heard from Harry?” She asked to change the subject, least she get overly emotional. “I noticed the white roses and package that were delivered this morning.”

Her little sister lit up like the star of Bethlehem at the mention of her boyfriend. “He's deploying out of London tomorrow but he's not allowed to tell me where. The flowers are because he won't be able to call for a few days and he wanted to remind me that he loves me. The package had some books and DVD's about the royal family.”

Eden greatly suspected that her baby sister would be becoming a princess in the very near future but she was also a little worried. With her moving to Hawaii and Harry deployed God knows where with the British Army, Hermione would be all alone.

“Mione', are you sure you're going to be okay here without me?” She asked that night at the dinner table.

“You're always welcome to come with us,” Leland added as he helped Cobie cut up his steak.

“I have school and work to keep me busy. I'll be fine.” Hermione chuckled. “Besides, what would I do in Hawaii? I'm not exactly the bounty hunting type.”

“With Eden coming to work with me, we could always use a nanny that doesn't charge an arm and a leg,” Leland suggested.

“And, ya know, one that we actually like.” Dakota's inner smartass made an appearance.

Eden hadn't thought about it before but this seemed like a perfect solution. There were good colleges on the islands.

“I'll think about it.” Hermione nodded.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter beta read by @Christlove88

_**TWO MONTHS LATER** _

 

Eden quietly closed the door to the boys' room after tucking them in, before grabbing the baby monitor out of hers and Leland's bedroom and heading outside to sit on the patio with a glass of wine. It had been a hectic few months and everybody – on both sides of the family – was mad at everybody.

Her mother had followed through on her threat to cut Eden off if she moved to Hawaii. The bitter woman had canceled all of her credit cards and closed the account that had previously contained her trust fund. Her mother was incredibly pissed to discover that Eden wasn't an idiot. She had saved a good portion of every paycheck she received from the James Foundation. She hadn't touched her trust fund since college and only used her credit cards for small things – like gas – to build up her credit score. Between savings and Leland keeping his promise to be the family bread winner, her mother's actions hadn't affected her accustomed lifestyle at all. She wasn't a Hilton. Her family name and fortune meant zip to her.

Her dad... was being her dad. When he was talking privately with one of his daughters, he completely agreed that their mother was the one in the wrong. But from experience, she knew that he was saying the exact same thing when he was alone with his wife, only changing the guilty party to Eden. Once a politician, always a politician.

Poor Hermione – who was always on Eden's side – was stuck in D.C. dealing with both their mother... and the international press. The tabloids couldn't enough of her relationship with Harry.

On Leland's side... the Chapmans were at war. It was Leland, Duane Lee, Wesley, and Lyssa against Dog and Beth... mostly Beth. The minute A&E learned that they were all quitting the show, ‘Dog the Bounty Hunter’ had been promptly canceled. With the golden goose that was their precious show gone, Beth was out for blood. She filed a trademark infringement lawsuit when she learned that her stepchildren's new business would be called, Chapman Family Bail Bonds. It was thrown out when the judge ruled that Chapman was too common of a last name for anyone to assume that the new business was in anyway connected to Dog Chapman. The judge also ruled that the Chapman siblings had every right to use their last name however they wanted because it was THEIR name. When Beth couldn't get revenge legally, she took to posting snide, passive aggressive comments on Facebook and Twitter. The number of stories printed about Eden and Hermione (filled with information from anonymous sources, of course) seemed to double. The ones about Hermione and Prince Harry were complimentary and full of lies (apparently they were great friends with Dog and Beth). The ones about Eden painted her as a domineering nutcase (she thought Beth was talking about herself for a moment when she read the first article) and also full of lies.

It was nearing ten when she finally heard Leland's Hummer pull into the driveway. They had moved into their new office space two weeks ago and Leland had been meeting with potential bail enforcement agents and dealing with bail insurance companies all day long. They were opening their doors on Monday.

Eden set her glass down on the patio table before going to sit at the edge of the pool with her feet in the water. In the two months they had lived together, Eden and Leland had developed a routine. Eden got up in the mornings and got the kids fed and dressed. She dropped the boys off at school and Leiah at the overpriced nanny's, before meeting Leland at the new office to get bail bond lessons and help with everything from painting the walls to buying new gear. At three, she left to pick up the kids and take them home while Leland continued working. With only a few days until Chapman Family Bail Bonds opened, her boyfriend was rarely home when the sun was up.

She felt more than heard him before Leland sat down behind her. Placing his legs on either side of hers in the water, he wrapped his arms around her stomach and laid a kiss on her neck. “How's my baby tonight?”

“Tired, daddy,” she chuckled. “It being the end of the school year, both boys have end of year class parties that I've been roped into helping with and Field Day is tomorrow... also been puppy dog eyed into volunteering at that. Lahela wants an extra three hundred dollars a week to keep the boys for the summer, oh, and we need a new Playstation.”

“Dakota took it apart?” He groaned and dropped his forehead to her shoulder.

“And completely voided the factory warranty by doing so... I called and checked,” she confirmed.

“Perfect. What about Hermione? She given any more thought to moving here and looking after the kids?”

“I think she's close to breaking. The press is really starting to bug the hell out of her.” She turned her head and kissed the top of his.

“Have I told you how much I love having you here to help with all this shit?” He chuckled as he caught her left hand in his and she felt something cold slip on her ring finger. “I'd like you to stick around permanently. Marry me, baby?”

Looking down, Eden found herself now wearing a platinum and emerald engagement ring. A huge grin spread across her face before she squealed and turned in his arms so quickly that they both ended up falling in the pool.

When they both broke the surface of the water, Leland pulled her into his arms and he kissed her soundly. “I'll take that as a yes, then?” he asked when they parted.

“It's a yes.” She laughed and kissed him again.

 

 

[ **_MY WEBSITE_ ** ](http://www.badwolfrose.com)


	26. Chapter 26

The next morning before she even got out of bed, the first thing Leland's girl had done was pick up the phone and call Hermione in Georgetown. He pretended to be asleep so he could eavesdrop on the conversation.

“'Mione, guess who's engaged?” Eden sang in an almost childlike way. She only used that tone when speaking with her sister. “What do you mean you knew?” Her tone became annoyed. “Okay, you can live. That was actually really sweet of him.”

Leland smirked into his pillow because he knew exactly what they were talking about. “Are you serious?” Eden sat up excitedly, not seeming to care if she woke him.

Leland finally sat up, curious as to what had her so excited.

Sorry, Eden mouthed sheepishly when she saw that he was awake.

Leland raised an eyebrow and nodded at the cordless phone that was in her hand. She held up a finger to let him know that she would tell him when she was off the phone. Glancing at the alarm clock and seeing that it was almost 6:30 in the morning, he got out of bed to start getting the kids up and ready for school while his girl finished her phone call.

He first went to Leiah's room where he found the little girl sitting up in her crib having a conversation with her favorite stuffed Pooh Bear doll. This was one of those times when he really wished he could speak baby because whatever his daughter was saying seemed to be greatly amusing if her constant giggling was an indication.

After changing Leiah's diaper and dressing her for the day, he went to the boys' room only to find their beds empty. Making his way out to the kitchen, he found Dakota and Cobie, fully dressed and sitting at the kitchen table with bowls of cereal in front of them, their book bags at their feet. Some kind of miracle must have happened that morning because this had never happened before.

“You boys are up early.” He walked to the table and put Leiah in her highchair next to Dakota. He grabbed the Mini-Wheats box and dropped a few onto the tray of the highchair to appease the baby until he could heat her up some baby cereal. “Big plans today?”

“Yep,” Cobie said nodding, milk dripping down his chin. “Mommy's coming to school with us because it's Field Day. She's a parent helper and she promised to run with me in the Mommy and Me race.”

“And she promised to do the egg relay with me,” Dakota added.

Leland smiled. He had forgotten about Field Day this year mostly because Eden had taken over most kid-related chores... and been more than happy to do it. It's not like he didn't love his kids and want to spend time with them. No, he loved the time he spent with them and wanted as many more as Eden would allow. He still went to all the big things – sports games, school plays – but his girl had taken over all the other roles he used to get roped into. Now Eden was a classroom helper once a week. She was the field trip chaperone and she helped out at school events. She even joined the PTA. For a woman so shy and introverted, she had jumped right in when it came to the kids. She even went so far as to take Mommy and Me classes with Leiah. Leland was nowhere near as exhausted as used to be and Eden was happier than he had ever seen her. Motherhood and the islands had done wonders for his girl.

As for the boys calling her 'mom', or 'mommy' in Cobie's case, that had started only two weeks after Eden had moved to Hawaii. His girl had walked Cobie to class one morning when he had been running late and when the teacher had asked who she was, Cobie had proudly responded, “my mommy.” That night they had all sat down and discussed Eden taking on the role of the kids' mother. Dakota and Cobie had been all for it and Eden had been 'mom/mommy' ever since.

“So, guess what?” A very cheerful Eden appeared beside him, her phone still in her hand.

“What, sweetheart?” he asked leaning over and giving her a quick good morning kiss.

“Hermione's going to be the kids' new nanny... at half the price of Lahela.” The last part was said while looking at him.

As the boys started celebrating at the table, with Leiah laughing just because her brothers were being loud and goofy, his girl walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck after setting her phone on the counter. “Hermione also told me that you called her and asked her permission to marry me.” She smiled as she lightly stroked the back of his neck.

Leland wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. “Of course I did, baby girl. I know how important Hermione is to you. I asked the boys for their okay too.” He gave her a gentle kiss.

“In case you were wondering... we said yes,” Dakota spoke up. “You could do better but we figured he'd do.”

This had the effect of making both adults burst out laughing.

“Grandma Beth is here.” Cobie was looking out the window as he said it.

And just like that, the laughter died.

 

[ **_MY WEBSITE_ ** ](http://www.badwolfrose.com)

 


	27. Chapter 27

Eden could tell from the look on Leland's face that all hell was about to break loose in the Chapman household.

“Dakota? I promised your teacher that I'd bring in that box of your dad's old training jump ropes for your class to use today. Can you and Cobie go and load them into the car, please? Wait for me in the garage. I'll be right out to take you to school.” Even though Leiah was too little to be left alone and was stuck in the room, she could at least get the boys out of the line of fire.

Dakota rolled his eyes to tell her that she wasn't fooling anyone but both he and his brother grabbed their bookbags and obeyed. They were kids. They weren't stupid. It was hard to hide the tensions running through and fracturing the Chapman family. The boys noticed that their grandfather and Beth had been more absent from their young lives.

As the boys were making their way out of the kitchen door that led to the garage, Beth was making her way in the front door.

“Good morning, you two.”

Wow. Beth would make an excellent politician. That phony smile was brilliant.

“Beth,” Leland sighed as he pulled both of their traveler's mugs out of the cupboard. “My lawyer told me that I shouldn't be talking to you.”

“I come in peace.” Beth held up her overly manicured hands. “I have a business proposition for you.” She didn't even give Leland a chance to respond, she just kept right on talking. “A&E's really interested in the two of you given who Eden's father is and who her sister is dating.”

Eden saw red. Beth was talking about her like she wasn't even there. And she had the nerve to drag Hermione into her little quest for more fame? Hell no! “Beth, we're not interested. Please leave.”

“I believe my step-son is the owner of this house, not you.” Beth's claws came out and her true colors bled through. “You're nobody. You're the girlfriend. Only Leland can tell me to leave.”

“Eden's my fiancee,” Leland said through gritted teeth. He took a deep breath before turning to Eden and saying as casually as he could, “baby girl, remind me to call my lawyer today to see if he's finished adding your name to the deed of the house.”

“Sure, honey.” That was what Eden called Leland around other people. 'Daddy' was reserved for when they were alone. She tried not to laugh at the look of shock that came over Beth's face.

“And to repeat, in as polite of terms as my beautiful bride used, get the FUCK out of OUR house.”

Leland glared as his step-mom.

Once Beth had stormed out the front door, Leland moved to take her into his arms. “You alright, baby girl?” he asked, nuzzling his nose with hers.

“Always, Daddy.” She leaned up and stole a kiss. “We do have a few problems though.”

“And what problems are those?” he smiled as he asked. Eden loved that she could always put a smile on his face.

“Leiah still needs breakfast.” She nodded at the baby in the highchair who was still happily munching on Cheerios.

“And?” He seemed to sense that she wasn't done.

“And I told the boys to wait in the garage for me to take them to school. School doesn't start for another hour and a half and I'm not even dressed yet. I was just trying to get them away from Beth.”

Leland barked out a laugh before kissing her. “You feed Leiah, I'll go and get the boys.”

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **

 


	28. Chapter 28

It was right after the Mommy and Me race that Eden started feeling sick to her stomach. She had been forced to throw up in the elementary school's bathroom before heading to the new offices of Chapman Family Bail Bonds to meet up with Leland.

“Hey, baby girl.” Leland dropped a kiss on her cheek when she walked in the door.

“Hey, daddy.” She dropped to sit in the leather chair behind his desk. Leaning her head back she took a glance around the office. It looked like Lyssa had finished decorating and she had done a great job. Unlike Dog and Beth's office with its cold and unwelcoming black leather furniture and glass tables, Lyssa had furnished the place with a plush, brown suede couch and bamboo tables and desks. Instead of narcissistic framed magazine articles and celebrity-autographed photographs the walls were decorated with family photos and no one person was singled out for attention. “Lyssa did a good job in here. Where is everybody?”

“Duane Lee has the flu, Wesley is renewing his bonds license, and like you, Lyssa was roped into helping at Field Day at Abby's school.” He moved to sit on the desktop in front of her. He had a naughty smirk on his face. “We're alone for a few hours.”

“Oh. No.” Eden shook her head and chuckled. “We are NOT christening the office. Whatever Duane Lee has, I must have caught. I threw up at the school before I left. I feel like hell.” She was whining and she knew it but she didn't care.

The look of desire dropped from Leland's face and was quickly replaced with one of concern. “Why didn't you just go home, baby girl?”

Eden shrugged. “You were here and I wanted to be close to you. We haven't really had a lot of time together lately unless we were here.”

Leland pulled her to her feet and into his arms, letting her rest her weight against him as she buried her face in his neck. “I'm sorry, sweetheart, you're right.” He laid a kiss on her temple. “Everything here is ready for us to open Monday morning. Why don't I call Lyssa and have her take the kids for the night? That way daddy can focus on taking care of his baby girl. Can't have her thinking I'm neglecting her.”

“Can we pick up soup from that deli I like and binge watch Supernatural on Netflix?” she looked up and asked hopefully.

Leland chuckled. “You'd leave me in a heartbeat for Sam Winchester if he was real, wouldn't you?”

“No, you got it the wrong way around.” Even though she was sick, Eden couldn't help but joke back.

“You're the guy I'd leave Sam for.”

“Good to know, baby girl,” he kissed her cheek.

“Now, if Dean was real... it might be a different story...”

Sick or not, that joke earned her a slap on the ass from her laughing fiance.

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **

  
  


 


	29. Chapter 29

**Disclaimer:** _The 'Supernatural' quotes used in this chapter are from the season three episode, 'Bad Day at Black Rock'. Those quotes are copyright © Erik Kripke and the CW. I wish I did but I don't own them._

  
  


  
  


“ _I lost my shoe.”_

Eden lay curled up against Leland in their bed, giggling as she watched her favorite episode of 'Supernatural'. She no longer felt the urge to be sick but she was feeling super lazy.

“ _You, my brother, are staying here 'cause I don't want your bad luck getting us killed.”_

“Hey, baby girl,” Leland said as he ran a gentle hand up and down her back. “When was the last time you had your period?”

Eden thought that was an odd question for Leland to ask until she started thinking about it and did the math in her head. Her monthly visitor hadn't come to call in over two months.

“ _It's my lucky day.”_

Eden suddenly sat up in bed and looked down at her fiance who was wearing a knowing smirk on his face. He already knew. “I'm pregnant.”

“ _I'm Batman.”_

“ _Yeah. You're Batman.”_

Leland nodded,. “I'd already guessed that. The flu doesn't just go away after a couple hours.” He let his hands travel up to cup her breasts. “These have also gotten fuller recently.” He gave a gentle squeeze.

The way her body went from totally exhausted to 100% aroused served as another clue that her hormones were all out of whack. She moaned and pressed up against his hands.

“Does my baby girl need her daddy to take care of her?” Leland had a cocky grin on his face.

Eden was already so far gone that all she could do was nod.

Leland quickly flipped them so that Eden was beneath him. Seeing as she was only dressed in one of his t-shirts and a pair of panties, Leland had her naked in no time. He made even quicker work of his boxers. He leaned down and laid a kiss atop the anchor that housed his name that was inked into the skin below her left breast as he slowly sank himself inside of her.

“Fuck, Daddy!” Eden cried out as he bottomed out. It had always been amazing between them but she could never remember the sensations being so intense. She wasn't going to last long at all. Given his lust blown pupils and the rapid, almost animalistic way in which he took her, Eden had a feeling that Leland was in the same boat.

Leland reached a hand down in-between them and circled his thumb over her clit. “Cum for Daddy, baby girl. I need to feel you squeezing my cock, sweetheart.”

When he changed the angle of his thrusts that's all that was needed to push Eden over the edge. She came, screaming his name at the top of her lungs, pulling him to join her in nirvana.

Leland collapsed a bit on top of her but was careful to keep his weight off of her stomach, where he moved one of his palms to lightly rest. “Fuck, baby girl,” he panted. “You have no idea how much I love you.”

Eden giggled and quickly kissed him. “I think I have a pretty good idea, Daddy.”

 

 

**_[MY WEBSITE](http://www.badwolfrose.com) _ **

 


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